Fun Comes Dressed In Black
by WeAreShippers
Summary: (AU) Katie has a secret. It seems that her life in New York is wonderful but none of it: once she proved the fun and since then she feels empty. What if by a twist of fate, the fun reappears at the wedding of her sister? And what if the fun comes dressed in black, with a mischievous smile on her lips?
1. One - Katie

**Fun comes dressed in black.**

**A/N: I'm so glad I'm posting this because this idea was running through my head for a long time and now I've found the way to write it. I'm a 'Keffyland' resident so I always wanted to do an entire Keffy fic and ere it is! Massive thanks to nonsequitur1416 because she's an amazing beta. You should read her new Naomily story because it's brill :D**

**Disclaimer: I own a little bit of Keffy because it's our invention.**

**Chapter 1.**

**Katie.**

**1st June, 2014. (28 days to the wedding).**

_Clack, clack, clack, clack._

She was probably the only fucking woman in the world who could walk in Manolo Blahnik's with such grace, in the midst of an international airport. She had a Prada purse slung over a shoulder, a pair of expensive black Ray-Ban sunglasses perched on top of her head, and a vanilla-flavored cappucino clutched in her right hand because she was dragging a huge suitcase in the other—and huge meant _enormous_.

The word 'stylish' fell short, she was just spectacular.

She rolled her eyes when she glimpsed a man swivel around to give her a cheeky once-over. _What the fuck, could they be more obvious?_

Her name was Katherine Fitch—they used to call her Katie when she was younger, admittedly—and she wanted to have the biggest wedding on the face of the entire Earth.

It sounded so wonderful to her, then: she would meet a nice boy, her father would walk her down the aisle, and then she'd cap the night off waltzing away with her tall, handsome husband.

It sounded so fucking dandy.

The truth was that she never lived that.

She was twenty-seven years old, and a loner who slaved away in a place she didn't like, with people she didn't like, and—consequently—lived a _life_ she most definitely didn't like one bit. She was working in New York; when she was a teenager, the idea of New York City was so exciting to her then, but fuck—she missed England. She missed the room she used to share with her sister and she missed her old 'friends.' She missed her adolescent days, when all she could think of was having that enormous wedding and not having to pay bills, among others.

That afternoon at Gatwick Airport was a sudden twist of fate, because _her_ sister was getting married instead. It was hilarious—Emily, her little Emily who didn't believe in marriage, was getting _married_.

It wasn't fair. Of course, she was glad for her sister because she just wasn't that sort of bitch who didn't want her sister, of all people, to be happy; also, her girlfriend—well, _fiancée_—was a proper girl, but it was _her _fucking dream.

Yeah, a girl—Emily was gay, and proud about it. Katie remembered the times when their mother could barely manage to wrap her head around it, and acted like a bigoted bitch nearly all the time, but now it was all over, and it seemed that their parents were also excited about the wedding.

Wedding. Just that word was making her stomach twist.

Emily Laurence Fitch and Naomi Danielle Campbell were getting married in less than a month, and there she was, dragging her luggage with genuine apathy (but with class, that much was clear).

She hated airplanes. She hated airports and long-distance flights; the altitude always got on her nerves.

She had become an impatient person because of her job. She was so tense, so difficult to bear; at least Emily knew _that_, so consequently, she was behind the fences at the exact hour, waiting for her, Naomi by her side.

_'God, these two are stuck to each other like two fucking magnets, as always,'_ she mumbled under her breath grudgingly, spotting them a ways off.

She was so relieved to see her sister; she still had difficulty accepting the fact that Emily had told her she was engaged through something so inane as a medium of social networking—and on Skype, of all bloody places—but what could she do? She saw her twice a year if they were lucky, and although she didn't like it...

Things were like that, and their lives were no longer following the same path.

She smiled when Emily let go of Naomi's embrace and opened her arms to hug her. God, she missed those bone-crushing hugs. "You look so well," Emily said, smiling. Katie laughed because it wasn't remotely true, but Emily had always lied to her in order to cheer her up. She wasn't looking nice: she hadn't slept a wink, and she was clearly in dire need of a full glass of vodka to relax.

Katie stared at the couple, then. They looked so good together, and she was really glad for them. "You, Campbell," she grumbled. "I hope you've been treating her like a princess."

The blonde girl grinned. "Aww, Katie. I thought you'd gotten past the stage where you threatened me with things like that."

She laughed then, and hugged Naomi. They had became very good friends. After all, Katie trusted her; she knew that the blonde wouldn't hurt her little sister, and that was enough to know that she was the better person to 'her' Emily.

"Where are we going now?" Katie asked when Naomi and Emily grabbed her suitcase. It was a sweet gesture and she smiled because although she was living so far from them, they knew her so well—they knew that Katie was tired as fuck.

Naomi answered her. "Well, you're going to stay with us and my best friend here in London until the Monday before the wedding."

"Your best friend?" Katie asked then, surprised. It was not that she thought that Naomi didn't have friends, but she'd never heard mention of a 'best friend'.

Naomi nodded, slipping an arm around Emily's waist. They continued walking to the car park, and Katie decided to drop the issue.

When they arrived at the space where Naomi had parked their old Toyota, she started laughing. They had painted it lime green!

"Too much 'lezzer'," Katie laughed, opening the trunk and leaving the suitcase there.

Naomi laughed. "Yeah, we didn't have money to buy a new car so we fixed our little Ben."

Katie settled herself on the back seat. "Well, I don't know how they define 'fixed' these days..."

The couple laughed again. "Come on Katie, you have to admit it looks rather nice," Emily said, swiveling about to talk to her while Naomi revved out of the car park.

Yeah, the car looked nice, and they looked completely happy, so the older twin smiled. Her eyes were fixed on her lovely London, and she felt so relaxed because she was finally at home.

For the first time in far too long, she found herself smiling sincerely.

[...]

"How's New York?"

Katie twirled her fork through the sparse strands of noodle left on her plate and smiled to herself; she had always envied her sister's abilities in the kitchen.

It was just as well, she decided, because when they were younger, Katie used to party all the time and Emily, well, she had always been quieter. More homemade. The older twin found herself enjoying the meal, because dinners in New York in comparison were comprised of take-aways or microwaved shit. "Busier," Katie replied noncommittally.

Naomi chuckled and topped their glasses with wine, "What a vague description."

"Emily, tell your girlfriend—"

"Fiancée," Naomi corrected, grinning.

Katie sighed, glaring at her fixedly. Gosh, Naomi knew how to annoy her. "Whatever, shut up."

Emily laughed; Katie glanced fondly at them, realizing she had missed them terribly, especially her sister. She found herself feeling nostalgic about all of the little things about Emily: her laugh, her dinners, the way she calmed her when Katie was stressed, and definitely, their sister time. She was going to spend the next three weeks glued to her, and she was genuinely glad about it.

_'And then they'll get married and you'll fly to New York again,' _she thought bitterly.

Her stomach squirmed at the thought. It was true that in theory, the job she had in New York as an editor of a fashion magazine was the proverbial cherry on top of her icing, but Katie wasn't happy there.

Emily asked her a touchy question, then. "So what? Has any guy succumbed to the Fitch charms on the other side of the Atlantic?"

Oh, God.

Well, she had _shagged_ a lot, and a lot meant _a fucking lot_. It was quite easy for her because she was Katie Fitch, and she loved to charm and be charmed. She had a bloody Masters Degree in Flirting, and it helped that a bunch of American lads had found her English accent so sexy. She shook her head because none of them were very important, much less notable, and she had only repeated with one boy called Danny, who was a well-known NFL Star because he played with the New York Giants.

"That's weird," Naomi said, taking a sip from her glass. "I mean, 'anyone?'"

Katie lied to them because it was easier that way. "Well, there was a boy—Danny Guillermo, I don't know if you know him." Both girls shook their heads in dubiety at the same time, and Katie smiled. "New York Giants' quarterback."

Well, now that Katie had put it that way, it was well-impressive. Katie knew how to stun, and when her sister and her fiancée opened their mouths in shock, the older twin smiled. "Wow." Emily said, laughing. "What happened with him?"

"Ego issues. Also, he was a fucking douchebag.," she replied. She spotted a pack of cigarettes n top of a bureau that was clearly the couple's."Can I?" she asked, pointing at it.

Emily raised a brow, "Since when do you smoke?"

Since the first moment she laid a foot in America, she started to smoke frequently. The year before that, she used to smoke only when she was stressed or angry, but clearly, Emily didn't know _that_.

Back in America then, the year she had first stepped foot in it, she had gone outside of JKF Airport and spotted a man, smoking. She'd bummed a fag off him, and learned his name was Matt; he was the first American she had ever shagged.

After him came a lengthy, unending list: Matt, Josh, Mick, Frank, Eddie, Danny—she thought all of them were well fit, but something didn't work there, and more often that not, she just fucked and flew.

It was so easy, being Katie Fitch.

"As I told you, New York is rather stressful," she mumbled around the stick. She flicked open a lighter and lit up, taking a deep drag. Oh, the nicotine felt_ good_—

Naomi and Emily stared at her, taking in this new, changed side of Katherine Fitch. She was different now, that much was clear: she was no longer the selfsame overly-dramatic girl who was always exalted by the shallowest things. She was stronger, now, a grown woman—and a cold bitch.

"It sounds like a difficult city," Naomi said eventually, and Katie nodded. New York was harrowing. She avoided their eyes because just thinking about it made her sad.

"But," she said, stubbing her fag out on the ashtray. "Enough about me. Where did you get engaged? You haven't told me anything!"

Naomi and Emily glanced at each other, smiling. "Well, you know that we went to Marrakech because your twin here was so obsessed about it," Naomi said, fighting off a grin.

Katie started to laugh, "You're an activist through and through! So, you thought it was a brilliant idea to propose to her in a fucking Islamic country, did you?"

Emily laughed, too. "And they wanted to arrest us, but it was so worth it."

Katie's eyes widened, surprised; it seemed her sister had become quite the badass and it was hilarious.

"It was beautiful; we were in these white dresses, next to the river." Naomi grabbed Emily's hand and kissed her knuckles, and the older twin had to smile at that. They loved each other, and it was pretty to see.

[...]

"Are you comfortable in that room or do you want to—?" Katie stared at her sister, who poked her head through the door.

She sighed and smiled: Emily was so kind as always, but the bed was absolutely more comfortable than the shit-hole where she lived in back in New York, so she nodded. "I'm fine."

Emily sat by her side on the bed and suddenly hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're here, Katiekats."

Katie smiled when she heard the silly nickname from when they were still two little children. _Me too, Emsy. Me, too._ But she didn't say anything. She didn't have the empathy that her sister definitely had, so she shut up.

The younger twin kissed Katie's forehead before leaving the bedroom. She mouthed a 'good night' and Katie replied with a smile. When Emily closed the door, she sighed and fell on the bed. She closed her eyes with a huge smile on her face.

Everything started to look up now that she was in London again with her sister, and that was magnificent.

[...]

She hated loneliness. Almost every night she had nightmares where her crippling fear reared its horrible head: to end up alone.

It sounded so scary in Katie's mind. She didn't cry that night, she just woke up in the middle of the night and went outside her bedroom to smoke a fag.

The flat was so peaceful and she sat on the couch with the cigarette between her lips, letting the smoke run through her body.

"You know, she's missed you so much. Since she knew that you were going to stay here for three weeks she hasn't stopped talking about you and how much she needs her twin here."

Katie smiled when she heard that. She turned around and saw Naomi with a bottle of water in her hand. The blonde sat by her side on the couch and passed an arm around her soon to be sister-in-law's shoulder.

"You can't sleep," Naomi said, matter-of-factly, and Katie nodded because she was right. She couldn't sleep when her mind was so active, and the during the rare times she caught a refreshing night's sleep in New York, it was because she managed to push those thoughts outside of her head. But now that she was back in London again, it was hard. "Insomnia?"

The petite girl nodded again and took a drag from her cigarette. "It's a bit difficult to sleep when I'm thinking too much."

Naomi sighed, smiling to herself. Her fiancée was happy because Katie was there, and when Emily was happy, she shone. She was the most perfect girl ever.

"I'm glad, you know?" The blonde looked up at Katie when she said that and smiled again. "You two are good for each other."

Naomi knew that Katie was being honest, and she instantly felt relieved because they'd never broached the subject of Naomi's little insecurities regarding Emily's family; she wanted them to like her. "Are you giving me permission to marry your sister?"

Katie laughed, then. "Fuck off, I was trying to be sincere."

The blonde rubbed Katie's back soothingly, and got to her feet, stifling a yawn. Katie watched her walk through the living room, feeling a sudden wave of fondness wash over her. Although she and Naomi were always at each other's throats, pretending not to get along, she'd found a real friend in the blonde.

She left the cigarette on the ashtray and smiled. "And, Katie?" She turned back to face Naomi again, who was leaning against the living room's door jamb. "If you need something, you know, you can ask me or..."

Katie grinned gratefully, "I know."

When Naomi disappeared, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, letting all the tension she had inside her body fly away.

There was no New York in sight for weeks; there was London, now, and she was positively happy.

[...]

Katie and Emily were having breakfast together because Naomi was going to meet her best friend at the train station.

The older twin was curious about it and decided to ask her sister. "What about that girl?" she asked, stirring her coffee with a teaspoon.

Emily stared blankly at her sister and blinked. "What girl?"

Katie grabbed her coffee mug and took a sip. "You know, Naomi's best friend," she replied, leaving the mug on the table.

"Oh, Elizabeth? It's weird, because I've never seen her," The older twin raised a brow. "Yeah, they went to college together, and Nai told me that if she didn't see her more it was because that girl's working in Paris, in a pretty important place. She spent two weeks here the last year, but I was in Glasgow working so, you know. I'm kind of dying to know her, in fact."

She smiled then, because that person seemed important to Naomi, and it was adorable that Emily wanted to know her so bad.

They heard the front door swing open, and Emily looked up eagerly. Katie chuckled, swirling her coffee 'round, and thinking it wasn't exactly cute, much less ideal of a long-term relationship—who on Earth had spent the last seven years living with a girl and didn't even know her best friend?

Naomi cleared her throat, and she glanced up, curious. And froze.

"Well, Ems, Katie, meet Effy."

Katie felt all the air drain out of her body, feeling weak and light-headed all of a sudden: Effy held her gaze, a familiar smirk playing on her lips.

Oh, fuck.

**See you soon, then :)**

**#Marv**


	2. Two - Effy

**Okay, I know I'm obnoxious and I should have updated this, at least, a month ago. Well I couldn't, because I don't have a beta-reader at all (and I'm looking for one, just saying) and I had to correct all my mistakes, and just remember that 1/ my English isn't that good and 2/ self-correcting is kind of awful. But you deserved it, because your response and feedback in the first chapter was truly amazing (thank you, thank you!) so here it is :)**

**Disclaimer: the typos are mine, Skins isn't. (Translations at the end of the chapter).**

**[...]**

**Chapter 2.**

**Effy.**

**2nd June, 2015 (27 days to the wedding).**

_GARE DU NORD, PARIS. 07:55 AM._

"Tu vas me manquer."

She smiled and hugged that tall and incredibly thin boy, burying her face on his chest and smelling his scent; One Million fragrance, by Paco Rabanne - a bloody cliché but she liked it a lot - and the messy but sexy beard of the boy was tickling her forehead.

She giggled because it was perfect.

The moment was so fucking perfect that even Effy thought that she would love to have had her ridiculously expensive camera in her hands to shoot a few pictures. (And what was really ridiculous was that she had been dating that amazing guy for years and they just had four or five pictures together, as much).

The sound of the trains was disturbing her but she didn't care so much about it, specially when Gaël - her boyfriend - was hugging her and caressing her cheek so fondly.

Because Gaël always treated her as if she were made of gold and that was so fucking nice. Annoying - just sometimes - but nice.

She perched her sunglasses on the top of her head and she fixed her hair in a casual bun.

Effy Stonem had a quality that not so many women could have; she looked absolutely beautiful, no matter what she wore or the way she fixed her hair. She didn't like makeup at all and the only makeup that she used was a bit of dark shadow in her eyes - perhaps the depth of her blue eyes was the secret, and that's why she accentuated them.

Anyway, Effy Stonem was one of those girls that when they passed by your side, you had to swivel your neck to just take a proper look - and Gaël, her boyfriend, was so fucking proud.

She passed her arms through his waist and smiled. "I'll be fannying around here again so soon. Also, you are so busy with this studio thing so I'm sure these three weeks will pass in the blink of an eye, you'll see."

The guy just took a deep breath, furrowing his brow. It was true that the time passed fairly quickly in Paris, as was also true that he was quite busy - busy enough to be able to sleep just for three or four hours every day, as much - but three fucking weeks were still so many days and he would be alone there in Paris without her... it was kind of sad. "Le studio est vide sans toi."

Effy grinned and kissed his cheek so tenderly. Yeah, she knew that the studio was quite empty if she wasn't there, and perhaps the thing she would miss the most would be that cosy place in the middle of that big city, but her stomach was starting to vibrate nervously and she really couldn't help it; the fucking train would arrive in a few minutes and she was about to bit her nails.

London was waiting for her.

→ LE TRAIN À LONDRES EST PRÊT POUR LE DÉPART, SUR LA PLATE-FORME TROIS.

And yeah; there it was.

He sighed and squeezed her hand, running his thumb throught her pale knuckles with a sad smile on his face, and for a moment she felt bad. Damn, Gaël was there - so pathetic, so sad - and she was just thinking in getting in the train and leaving Paris.

"Je t'aime, Effy."

She just smiled. She knew that he loved her but she didn't need to say it. Also, every time she tried to form those three words in her throat, those '_easy_' words, that simple but huge '_I love you'_, something made her shut her mouth up.

Her mind, usually. Because she kind of loved him but those words... she just couldn't.

Effy got in the train and when she was in the wagon where she had to seat, she waved her hand at the boy while the train started to move.

She sighed deeply, then. Fucking finally!

Of course she liked her life in Paris and of course she '_loved_'' Gaël but she was too fucking excited about the idea of seeing her best friend again that any thing compared to that was falling short.

Plus, Naomi Campbell was getting married!

In just one word: incroyable.

She chuckled loudly, then. OH God, she remembered that when they were young, they were those kind of girls who didn't give a shit about marriage, about love...

Suddenly - and unexpectedly - Naomi called her over a month to inform her that she was getting married and fuck, she didn't really believe it at first but it was true.

Damn blonde...

As the train made its way, she wondered who the fuck would have melted Naomi's heart. She knew that her name was Emily - and OBVIOUSLY, she wanted to meet that girl so bad - because, damn, what kind of girl she had to be to convince a character like Naomi Campbell! She had to be someone brave - so fucking brave - and she liked that.

She kept that wide smile in her mouth while she peered through her old iPod, looking for some relaxing music.

As a matter of fact, when she found a song that answered her momentary needs she couldn't help but think that she was a lucky girl.

Her life right then was so fucking awesome that sometimes she couldn't help but think that she was inside a giant bubble and a bloody dart would destroy it all - and her apparently perfect life would go nuts again like when she was younger.

She was trying to avoid that destruction, because she remembered when all was summed up in drugs, alcohol, sex... and as the days passed by, she knew that she really couldn't complain, because she was pretty lucky to have Gaël in her life and although her idea of love was so different - because she really thought that real love leaves you breathless - they were good.

They worked together in a musical studio for an important label and they were happy; or at least she was.

Sometimes he pushed her limits because he wanted to be more serious about their relationship and when those doubtful and gray days arrived, Effy cooked his favorite meal, invited him to stay over the night at her flat and had a good shag.

The following day Gaël would have stopped that shit with her because they were fine and that was all, Effy would achieve her goal - to calm down the situation.

Even if she was 28 years, she still felt so young to fall into that kind of monotony with a man. Getting married? Of course not, she didn't let him to live with her, how the fuck was she going to marry him? That didn't make any sense.

'_That's because you don't love him the way you should.'_

She always tried to push those thoughts away because they usually appeared on her mind and they were full of venom - and fuck, he was a nice guy. A really nice guy. The problem was absolutely hers.

Perhaps she had become a person that she would never have wanted to be when she was younger - if she thought about it - but she was happy, with her serious job, her serious boyfriend and all her bloody serious shit; she was happy.

Gaël could have come with her to London and it would have been so nice, but he said 'je déteste la Grande-Bretagne, avec le froid et la pluie' and that pissed her off so much because fuck's sake, it was her fucking home! Paris was a cool place but it wasn't '_her_' London. It wasn't _her_ Naomi and _her _Cook, her wasted nights with a cheap bottle of vodka and her spliffs while she was admiring the Thames. Paris wasn't London and when Naomi called her, telling her that she was going to marry the woman of her fucking life, she found that she needed to breath away from 'OH, la merveilleux France'.

She didn't argue with him because she didn't give a shit at all. It bothered her - when someone talk shit about the things she liked - but she knew that she wasn't bothering because of him; she bothered because of the situation.

Although it might seem a big lie, she wasn't running and she wasn't going away, (and surely when those three weeks came to an end she would return to Paris and she would continue with her happy life) but fuck it; she was going to enjoy those little holidays, of course she was going to!

She stared through the window while the train was crossing the English Channel. She was glad because in a few minutes Naomi was going to be there, probably with a enormous grin on her lips and they were going to laugh a fucking lot. She was going to ask about Cook and Naomi probably would tell her that he was being a badass somewhere but anywhere at all, as always.

She hadn't stopped wondering about her friends since Naomi called her - because she really couldn't - and she was starting to feel too excited about the idea of London.

Effy Stonem checked her wrist's watch and smiled widely.

Some minutes.

Just some minutes and her wonderful and happy life in Paris would be so fucking far.

[...]

→ Ladies and gentleman, the Eurostar train has arrived succesfully to London. Thank you for using our services.

→ Mesdames et Messieurs, le Eurostar train a atteint avec succès à Londres. Merci d'utiliser nos services.

She opened her eyes so slowly. She fell asleep because she was so tired - the hectic lifestyle of Paris, it should be - and she yawned, rubbing her eyes as a child. She stood up and grabbed her suitcase, stretching her muscles in the movement.

Fucking trains, they were so fucking uncomfortable...

Once in English territory, she smiled and took a long and deep breath.

"Welcome home, Elizabeth Stonem."

She started to walk through St. Pancras International Station with a huge grin on her face. Naomi had texted her and told her that she was waiting outside the biggest doors of the station - a place she knew too well - and that they were going to have the most ridiculous, expensive and enormous breakfast ever, so when she arrived there and she saw her best friend - looking around and moving her feet so nervously, because she had never been good at waiting - she giggled.

The blonde heard her and smiled, turning around to face her.

They weren't that kind of friends who needed so many displays of affection because their friendship was very pure, but that morning they couldn't help hugging each other so strongly. "I am so so so so fucking glad to see you," said Naomi and Effy smiled because her friend was like that, genuinely sincere and she really loved it.

The brunette opened her small suitcase to grab her pack of cigarettes and offered one to Naomi, but the blonde shook her head. "OH no, God. I'm really trying to quit."

"What the hell; how the fuck are you and what have you done with my blonde?" They laughed together; Naomi sighed with relief - because having Effy there was relieving her so bleeding much - and Effy lit the cigarette, taking a long long drag and feeling the nicotine work its wonders. She was positively good. "It's nice to see you too, by the way."

"Breakfast, then?" The blonde asked while she was dragging Effy's luggage through the sidewalk.

Effy couldn't help but think that London was the place she loved the most.

"Sweet."

[...]

"And what about getting married?"

Naomi smiled, grabbing her coffee mug and taking a short sip, because it was boiling. Those were their usual breakfast: just a cup of black coffee with something to eat. Effy was starving so she asked for a piece of apple pie with some raspberry cream, and she devoured that piece like if she were a hungry little girl.

They were in the coffee where they used to go when they were young and the brunette girl felt so fucking dandy, just there. Naomi answered her question then. "She's brilliant, Eff. She... she's just everything I could ask for, I tell you."

Effy smirked and stared at her. "So after so many years of 'me, not muff-muncher; me, cock-cruncher'," she said, mimicking her. "At last you have discovered what the fuss is about and now you are really serious about it."

The blonde laughed and shook her head. No one could have described it better. "Will you ever change, Stonem?"

And Naomi said that because when she was young, Effy was always telling her that she was a big lesbian - or a dyke, lezza or whatever - but she wasn't sure at all.

In fact, she wasn't sure until she met Emily Fitch.

They laughed again and then Naomi smiled because she missed that, and although she was so fucking happy with Emily - and she didn't have any second thoughts about marrying her, of course not - sometimes she missed her friend and the way they used to connect when they were just two reckless adolescents. "And I guess you asked her."

Naomi nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I did... In Marrakech, five months ago."

"What the fuck, Naomi," Effy muttered, giggling.

"She deserved it all, you know? I knelt, holding her hand and all that stuff," Effy watched the gleam in Naomi's eyes when her friend was talking about Emily, and just because of that, she decided that she was starting to like her fiancée. "And although she's gay as a fucking window, she's so classic about those little things like: getting married, having kids..."

"Having kids?" The brunette couldn't help the enormous laught that was growing inside her throat and she started to laught her ass off. "Little '_Naomis_' running through London with animal rights' T-shirts. Fuck, I can really imagine it."

Naomi giggled too. "Piss off! They'll be lovely and..."

"So it's really serious, God..." Effy said, crossing her arms on her chest and smiling widely.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah... I love her so much Eff. I really do."

Effy stood up then and she drank the last sip of her coffee mug. "Come on, I want to meet the girl who made you kneel right now," the brunette went straight to the bar to pay the coffees and Naomi sighed with a huge smile on her face.

With Effy there, she just needed Cook to have all her family by her side.

Life couldn't be better for that blonde, it definitely couldn't.

[...]

Naomi was driving and Effy was humming the song that it was playing on the radio, cheerfully. In just a few minutes she was going to meet that famous Emily and she wasn't nervous at all, but she could tell that her blonde friend was feeling a little bit worried about it, so she just stared at her and rolled her eyes - thinking that it was kind of ridiculous, because Effy was sure that if Naomi truly loved her girl, her oppinion wouldn't give a shit at all.

"Nai."

The blonde stared at her. "Hmm?"

"She makes you happy and I'm sure I'm going to like her, so stop bitting your fucking bottom lip right now."

Naomi sighed and rolled her eyes, murmuring. "All-knowing bitch..."

"As always, mate," she said and the blonde smiled because Effy was right. Since they were teenagers, that brunette girl had been so mysteryous and so observant and OK, sometimes it was creepy but they had always been there for each other and actually, Naomi was one of the few people who really could understand Effy Stonem.

(And that, obviously, was so nice).

"OH, I forgot about it! My lovely sister-in-law will stay with us, too," Effy raised a brow and Naomi understood that it was her way to ask about that girl, so she continued. "She's nice. A little bit bitchy but... you don't care at all, do you?"

"Is she single?" Effy asked with a cocky smile and Naomi stared at her again, surprised - but with a smile on her lips.

"What about Gaël?" The blonde replied, somewhat puzzled.

Effy stared through the window and answered, robotically. She had gotten used to that, to use the manual when someone asked about Gaël. The words 'good' and 'happiness' were always included in her speeches.

"We're really fine."

Naomi wasn't quite sure about it, thought. Effy Stonem definitely didn't sound that fine. "I will need a bottle of vodka to make you talk, I see."

"And showing your fiancée the '_old CCS style_'? Are you sure?"

The blonde smirked. "You'll be surprised. She's a bottomless pit, my girl."

She giggled then and Naomi tried to fit the car, the best she could, in one of the free parking spots in her street. Effy got out the car and lifted her thin arms again - her body was so fucking sore. "You tired, Eff?"

"Bloody fried," complained the brunette, yawning. "Trains make me go all grumpy, you know."

"Come on, we're almost there."

Five minutes later they were in front of Naomi's door and the brunette took a long and deep breath, remaining behind her friend.

The blonde opened the door and smiled - the aroma of coffee and pancakes permeated the entire house and it was an amazing way to welcome someone. "She's an awesome cook," Naomi recognized, feeling somewhat proud of her fiancée.

"What a fucking relief, I was really worrying about your nourishment," Effy in a playfully and sneaky whisper.

Her friend laughed and headed to the kitchen, leaving her keys on the top of a bureau. Effy couldn't help but smile; there she was and she was so fucking glad about it.

She decided to follow her friend, leaving that petite suitcase in the middle of the hall.

Naomi's kitchen wasn't huge but somehow it made her feel comfortable. Effy really envied the ability that her best friend had to make everything around her feel like a fucking home - she, who had been five years in the same flat living alone, hadn't found her fucking home yet.

Two girls were having breakfast at that small table and Effy smiled when she saw Naomi staring at one of them with a sappy grin on her face.

Effy knew that the redhead was Emily, then, so the other would be...

It was at that moment when they turned around - like in those movies where everything was horribly slow.

Then, it happened.

'_WHAT. THE. HELL.'_

[...]

She never thought that she was going to see **HER** again and it was so fucking hilarious.

Katie Fucking Fitch. Damn... it couldn't be true.

"Well, Ems, Katie... meet Effy."

Katie was staring at her as if she were an alien and she just wanted to laugh her fucking ass off. She bit the inside of her cheeks, trying not to burst out laughing again and she tried to keep a stoic face but it was getting hard and hard.

Emily stood up and kissed Effy's cheeks with a nice and shy smile on her lips. "I'm..."

"Emily. Yeah... I know," said Effy with a wide smirk on her face. "Nice to finally meet you."

Effy stared at Katie, who couldn't take her eyes off the floor. The truth was that older twin was so fucking annoyed - well, she couldn't be crossed with Effy because she had seen her face and she looked quite surprised, as her, but she could be crossed per se. Yeah, she obviously could.

Also, Katie was an obvious person, expressing her feelings and Effy kind of guessed that she was angry - if Katie was annoyed, it was blatant.

It was easier if Emily and Naomi didn't know anything about them at that moment, Effy thought quickly, so she did what she thought she had to do. "Nice to meet you too, Katie," Effy murmured and Katie raised her eyebrows in surprise and alarm, because what the hell was she doing?

The silence filled that void in the kitchen.

Effy passed a hand through her own hair and looked at her best friend, raising an eyebrow and clearing her throat. "OK... I'll show you your room," Effy nodded and stared at Naomi, who kissed Emily's lips and caressed her cheek with her slender fingers. Well, at least they looked really good. "We leave you here with breakfast, ladies. Eff needs some sleep and I'm gonna meet our lovely florist."

Emily nodded too and kissed Naomi again, so slowly that Effy had time to feel slightly embarrassed.

Awkward. Awkward and so fucking uncomfortable.

After a couple of cheesy '_I love you's_' Naomi left the kitchen and Effy just followed her again, glancing at Katie, and blinking several times.

Fucking hell...

As she saw that if she gave into the surprise she wouldn't open her mouth in a while, she focused all her attention on her best friend.

It was evident that the blonde was really nervous, even worried, and she asked her best friend because she needed to. "What do you think about Em?"

"Eventful?" The brunette answered and even if in that moment Naomi wasn't understanding her, she left the issue aside.

The blonde went through the corridor and opened a door - that's when Effy saw two single beds.

Ha! It couldn't be fucking true, fuck's sake...

"I would love to have a bigger flat with more rooms but... you'll share this room with Katie, I'm afraid. I hope you won't mind."

Effy sighed. "Nai, I don't really mind," it was funny, at least... "Come on, you have a meeting and I am going to have the longest nap ever." Naomi smiled and then she hugged Effy. She was happy, really happy and the brunette welcomed that hug. "Don't play grumpy with 'the lovely florist', Campbell."

"Ha. Ha."

The blonde left Effy there and she went outside the room, slightly narrowing the door. Her friend sighed deeply and sat on the intact bed, thinking that the other bed would be where Katie had probably slept.

_'Jesus, Katie fucking Fitch slept there.'_

She laid on the bed and put her hands behind her head, staring around. She couldn't help thinking that the room was full of Katie everywhere; the floor, her bed, even the half-open door of that giant wooden closet.

Katie Fitch had filled that small room of 'Katie' everywhere.

She heard footsteps and she closed her eyes, thinking about what had happened in that kitchen.

Katie... God, during some years she missed that petite girl crazily and thanks to the fucking karma, the fate or whatever, she was the sister of her best friend's fiancée - and if it wasn't funny enough, they were twins!

She grinned; it would be so fucking funny.

Suddenly, someone opened the door and she looked to her right, to see Katie with her arms crossed on her chest. She couldn't help but smile when Katie closed the door and stared at her.

"Well, fuck me," and Effy would be lying if she said that she hadn't missed that lisp, that voice... "The fucking planet Earth can't be that small."

Effy grinned, rolling her eyes at the exaggeration of Katie's words. She just remembered her being like that: exaggerated, dramatic... "Aren't you going to hug me or something?"

"Piss off," she murmured and Effy smirked again.

Yeah... it would be really eventful.

[...]

The four girls were having dinner in the living room; Effy was sitting next to Naomi, in front of Katie. She had slept so fuckin' well, - she needed that nap, she really needed it - and she was wearing an old gray 'University of London' sweatshirt, black leggins and her typical messy ponytail.

When she tasted the farfalle pasta with olive oil and grated cheese that Emily had been cooking, she smiled widely. "This tastes so good."

Emily smiled shyly. "Well, Naomi told me that you love Italy so I thought that some pasta would be fine."

Katie almost choked with the coke she was drinking when she heard that and Effy bit her lip again, trying not to laugh. When the older twin saw that amused face she kicked Effy's knee under the table with her toe. "That's so kind Emily. Thank you."

Naomi stared at her sister-in-law, who was fidgeting and playing with her own fingers, nervously. "In fact; Katie went there a few years ago, isn't that right?"

OH, and if they KNEW...

Effy wanted so bad to hear Katie's answer to that question.

"Well..." Katie cleared her throat and cleaned the corners of her mouth with the napkin. "Yeah, I visited Rome once."

Effy raised an eyebrow. She was going to have some fun. "And did you like it?"

"What?"

"Rome," Effy said, fixing her eyes on Katie brown pools and smiling mischievously. "If you liked it."

And Katie kicked her leg again, that time with more strenght. "I've been in better places."

Effy wanted so bad to laugh and say '_you wish' _ but she just smiled and stared at her plate of food. Yeah, Katie fucking Fitch was right there - pretending, joining the game - and she loved that, she loved it pretty much.

"It's my favourite city, you know? It brings back so many good memories."

Katie rolled her eyes but that time she didn't kick Effy's leg, she just stared at her - biting her cheeks and trying to hide a blush.

"I would like to go there," Katie sighed and really thanked her sister - just in her mind, of course - for make some conversation. It was the best, because they were starting to go through complicated issues.

Effy replied Emily, without taking her eyes off Katie. "I have like a big flat there so if you want, we can go by the summer. It would be so nice."

Emily stared at Naomi and the blonde grabbed her hand. "Yeah, that would be awesome."

The brunette decided that it was enough, so she stood up and grabbed her pack of cigarrettes. "Eff, you can smoke inside, we don't mind," Naomi said.

"Some air will do fine."

Katie stared at her and Effy went to the balcony with a huge grin on her face.

Before, she turned around to stare at Katie again. "OH, and Katie," the older twin raised her eyebrows so alarmed. "You can come too, you know? I mean, I'm pretty sure that if you didn't like Rome, it was because anyone showed you the best nooks of that place. Am I right?"

And Katie shut her mouth up because Effy left her speechless. And just the simple thought about Rome made her stomach clench. Effy grinned and closed the balcony door.

Emily laughed then, oblivious. "She's so nice."

"I told you that you were going to like her," Naomi said, really proud of her best friend. "And you, Katiekins? What do you think about Effy?"

The older twin thought that the couple didn't really know a bit about it, OH God, they didn't. "Y-Yeah... nice," she smiled at the blonde and then, Emily stood up.

"Babes, help me with dessert."

Naomi nodded and went to the kitchen with her, and Katie put her hands on her face. She sighed and snorted.

If Effy thought that it was going to be funny, Katie couldn't help but think that she was going to suffer the sneaky and ironic comments of the brunette everyday.

She didn't know if she was glad to see her or not, though.

"This can't be true," she murmured more to herself and when she raised her eyes to stare at the balcony, where Effy was smoking smoothly, she sighed.

It turned out that yeah, it was really true.

It wasn't a dream, nor a nightmare.

Elizabeth - the bloody Effy Stonem - was right there, ready to mess her mind a little bit more.

...

_**The translations: **_

_"Tu vas me manquer." (I am going to miss you / I'll miss you)._

_"Le studio est vide sans toi." (The studio is empty without you)._

_"LE TRAIN À LONDRES EST PRÊT POUR LE DÉPART, SUR LA PLATE-FORME TROIS." (The London train is ready for the departure at the third platform)._

_"Je t'aime, Effy." (I love you, Effy)._

_"Je déteste la Grande-Bretagne, avec le froid et la pluie." (I hate the United Kingdom, with the cold and the rain)._

_"OH, la marvellieux France." (OH, the wonderful France)._

_"Incroyable." (Unbelievable)._

_"Mesdames et Messieurs, le Eurostar train a atteint avec succès à Londres. Merci d'utiliser nos services." (Ladies and gentleman, the Eurostar train has arrived succesfully to London. Thank you for using our services)._

...

**I'm just hoping that this won't be that bad :) This is certainly the longest chapter I've ever written, so I'm obviously happy about it.**

**Anyway, reviews, thoughts?**

**See you soon then (I promise I will try :D)**

**#Marv.**


	3. Three - Rome

**Woo-hoo! Can't believe I'm posting this so soon, but once I betaed this (and with the awesome help of the lovely SpanishLily, here it is! (People clapping and cheering).**

**So, as always: thanks for all your feedback and support, I really needed it :)**

**Here it is the 3rd chapter, then!**

**Disclaimer: the same - the typos are mine, Skins isn't. (Translations at the end of the chapter).**

**[...]**

**Chapter 3**

**Katie.**

**10th June, 2008.**

_SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, 11:37 AM._

_E volavo volavo felice più in alto del sole ed ancora più su, _

_Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva lontano laggiù, _

_Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me... _

_Volare... oh, oh!_

_Cantare... oh, oh, oh, oh! _

The warm air was caressing her face; it was a little bit swollen because the night before she couldn't stop crying, with a half-empty bottle of cheap rum and some Amy Winehouse music - not because her music was awful at all, God it was far from that, but however, some of her songs were rather depressing.

In the morning, everything was a little bit better.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the beautiful sights were leaving her completely breathless.

She took a look at the speaker that was on the top of a column, playing some music - and although the song was one of those typical cheesy songs (Katie knew it because of her mother, Jenna Fitch, who was a "romantic" woman, jukebox and old music included) she felt right.

Somewhat lighter.

She was on the cruiser's bow, admiring the vastness of the sea and feeling as if she were Kate Winslet in Titanic - and don't laugh about it, but the first thing that Katie thought when she had the cruiser's ticket in her hand was that film and the huge ocean liner.

Katie's mind worked like that.

The sights were absolutely precious and she was really cherishing that moment - although she was kind of angry for the situation that caused her to be in that enormous cruise.

Regardless, the sound of the waves crashing against the cruise was the closest she had ever been to the word peace so she tried to enjoy that, oblivious to everything else.

All the things that Katie thought that were disgusting in her life, were so fucking far away.

She sighed and grabbed the pack of cigarettes that was hidden inside her little purse. She tried to light one but the wind turned off the lighter every time Katie tried it and it driving her toward despair. "Fuck it," she mumbled.

She looked for someone who had a fag between the lips and suddenly, she noticed a brunette girl who was resting her back on a wooden wall and smoking a cigarette smoothly. She went over, decided to ask for the lighter (damn, all she had to do to smoke a single cigarette...)

"Excuse me."

The brunette chick stared at her and raised a brow. Katie didn't know why but for some reason that girl was kind of intimidating her, with that wide smirk on her thin lips. "Do you have a lighter?" asked the petite girl, not sure about if the other girl had understood her or not.

When the brunette pulled a lighter from the pocket of her short trousers and gave it to her, she thought that she obviously had understood her - perhaps that brunette was from England or maybe not, she wasn't going to ask.

Katie lit the cigarette and handed her the lighter again.

"Thanks," she said, and the brunette nodded.

So she smoked that cigarette without thinking too much about it, and she really didn't see that brunette girl again until the following night.

Katie was having dinner in the cruiser's restaurant, enjoying a hake plate and some salad - and thinking that the next day she would be landing at Rome, so far from Malaga and her family and so far from Freddy, her ex-boyfriend (who was such an arse).

She cleaned her mouth with a napkin and she smiled because she felt so fucking better there. A good Spanish friend of hers named Tania helped her to find that cruise - and a weekend at Rome - where Katie was going to clear her mind.

At least she had her old notebook there, glued to her. And a pencil, of course, why would she have a fucking notebook if she hadn't anything to do in it?

Katie was like that. She was an extreme person and she passed the best and the worst moments of her short life with that old notebook by her side.

Dresses. Ideas that passed through her head...

She drew beauty.

Katie spotted that awkward brunette girl a couple of tables far from her. She was alone, really focused in a newspaper.

It was kind of adorable and Katie couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, she raked her hand through her hair and she opened the notebook.

Katie loved people-watching. She never created anything without that inspiration, she always needed something; a detail, a smile, a sound or whatever. In her head she designed huge dresses and then she embodied them on the paper. Small details made the difference. She was an artist thanks to the people she saw every day and basically if a person had something special, she drew the perfect dress - judging by her opinion, obviously - for that person. Katie could take hours, days or weeks doing that but it was so worth it.

It was true that the first time she saw her she thought that the brunette just was a normal girl - and she didn't give a shit about what that brunette was doing in the cruise. Sometimes, Katie could be as dense as lead, but she was a pretty smart girl and she didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the mysterious girl was all alone there.

The second time, Katie took only five seconds to open the notebook and start drawing.

She bit her lip and started to outline some lines and strokes with her black coal. That mysterious girl didn't need a pompous or exuberant dress, - she thought - that girl needed something simple but stunning at the same time. And black, yeah... black would definitely work.

She was so immersed in her notepad and her thoughts that she didn't realize that the mysterious girl was actually looking at her with a raised brow and a huge smirk plastered on her lips. "Shit," Katie murmured, closing the notebook in a quick movement with a burning blush in her cheeks and trying to look somewhere else.

Jesus Christ... it was so bloody embarrassing, she wasn't even that good at it and she didn't need anyone seeing her drawings!

When the brunette stood up and Katie saw that she was heading toward her table, she wished with all her forces that the earth will swallow her whole (ironic, considering that they were surrounded by miles and miles of seawater).

That girl dragged a chair to sit in front of Katie and she put her arms on the table, crossing them. It was so creepy, that brunette was so fucking creepy that Katie wanted to stand up and get the fuck out of that restaurant, but she didn't. She had been totally stunned. "I... uhm."

An unending list of bad excuses was running through her mind. The brunette girl grinned cheekily and put her eyes on Katie's notebook. "You were drawing," Katie nodded. Why would she lie if the brunette had seen her? "You were drawing whilst staring at me."

"Look..." said Katie whilst raked her hand through her hair again and trying to relax."It's not what it seems, I'm not a stalker or-"

"I haven't said that," said the brunette, with a lot of confidence. It was really overwhelming and Katie tried to avoid her gaze but at the end she couldn't.

That was the first time she saw those beautiful deep blue eyes.

Jesus... she could really drown in those eyes.

Katie came out of her own trance to see that the brunette was crossing her arms over her chest and staring at her. She was waiting for an answer; that was sure.

Katie gulped hard and stared at her notebook. She wasn't a very confident girl and she didn't want that girl having a fucking laugh about it. Randomly drawing dresses was something, not very normal…was it?

"Anyway; stalker or not, you can't be out there drawing people without asking for permission, right... what's your name?"

She didn't even know why the fuck she said her name but she just did it. "Katie."

The brunette smiled. "Nice name... but anyway, as I've said, Katie, you can't-"

"I wasn't drawing you," said the petite girl, fidgeting. She was trying to save some honour and she didn't need that kind of tone, God's sake... she was 21!

"I doubt that."

Bloody hell... in a desperate movement - because that girl was making her so uncomfortable- Katie opened her notebook and showed her the drawing. If the mysterious girl was going to laugh or not, she didn't care anymore.

The brunette remained silent and passed two fingers over the paper. She touched the lines, stroked the shadows with her thumb... she really admired that work in silence for a few seconds, and then, she smiled widely. "It's..."

"A fucking dress, I know that it isn't as surprising as-"

She stared deeply at her, and Katie felt her cheeks burning. "It's really beautiful, Katie."

The petite girl smiled without even knowing why.

That night was the first time someone said to her that her drawings were beautiful - in a genuine way, because Emily used to tell her that like everyday but she was her sister, what else could she do?

"Thank you, uh..."

"Elizabeth... but you can call me Effy."

And for some reason she knew that the brunette girl was something else. That she was somewhat special.

That mysterious brunette deserved the best dress ever.

[...]

She took an enormous breath and dragged her suitcase through the middle of the port.

"Wow... tu sei davvero bellisima," she turned around and she saw a boy who was handing her a red rose. She raised her brow - she didn't understand what he had said but she definitely knew what the word 'bella' meant - because she didn't like those kind of compliments... perhaps when she was 17, a fucking hormonal teenager, she would have smiled and taken the rose and the compliment but for fuck's sake, she wasn't in Rome to flirt or worse; have a mindless shag.

She didn't want that.

Then, it happened something totally unexpected.

"VAFFANCULO, STRONZO!"

And the surprised boy took a step backward and turned around, muttering something inaudible and leaving her there alone.

Katie opened her eyes widely, completely surprised and she turned around again. The mysterious brunette was right there, smirking shamelessly as if she had won a fucking prize. What the fuck? If the things weren't weird before... "What the hell," she mumbled. "C-can I ask you something?"

Effy pulled her hair back behind her ear and nodded. "Go ahead."

"What the fuck have you said to him?" She pointed to the boy who was walking far away from them.

And the brunette smiled. "Do you really want to know that?" Katie shrugged again, slightly insecure about it. "I told him to fuck off, pretty much. And maybe I called him an arse," she blinked, totally surprised about that answer. Effy couldn't help but laugh.

"You didn't have any right-"

Effy stared at her and raised her hands. "Oh, come on! I know those kind of Italian guys; they just want to seduce you and then they fuck off with your bag or suitcase. Days later you find your underwear in a fucking market, believe me; I know what I'm talking about. You owe me a big big one."

Katie snorted in disbelief. "Owe you? You fucking wish."

The little girl started to walk through the dock, determined to pass the control and catch a fucking cab to Rome.

"Hey you! W-wait..."said Effy almost running through the dock. "Jesus, I need to stop smoking, you are way faster than I thought," she said, breathing and gasping, trying to catch some air to fill her lungs.

Katie sighed and rolled her eyes, feeling somewhat anxious. "What the fuck do you want?"

The brunette smiled. "Where are you going?"

"None of your fucking business!?" said the petite girl with clarity and anger in her words.

Effy, far from giving up, smiled again and nodded. "Rome, of course. It makes sense, I mean... OK, I'm awful with words."

"I am kinda in a hurry, so if you don't mind..." said Katie, turning around.

Effy sighed. "If you catch a cab they will charge you more than 50 euro for the time and when you arrive to Rome the driver will begin to roam around the city like an arsehole just to charge you another 10."

The petite girl sighed in desperation, staring around. "And what do you exactly propose? Because I don't know if you've noticed or not, but we're in a fucking dock!"

Effy smiled again and crossed her arms on her chest. "M-my car is right there outside the port, so I can give you a lift..."

"Wait, for free?" Katie asked in disbelief. Effy nodded sheepishly.

"Well..." and she thought that, why the fuck not? She couldn't go wasting money, so... and it was just a short lift. She didn't have to talk with her. "Fine," the brunette smiled, then and they started to walk toward her car with the sea behind them. "You are pretty persistent."

Effy smirked mischievously.

"And I usually get my way."

[...]

In that car Katie found out some things about Effy that she hadn't guessed at first. The brunette wasn't very talkative but she was really easy to get on with and she found herself telling Effy why she was there.

"Running away from something, then," the petite stared at her, surprised again. It was the first time that Effy talked in that car. "I mean, you don't have to be so smart to know that you don't have time to start to watch Rome in just a weekend and... you seem smart enough."

Katie snorted and stared at her. It seemed that Effy loved to bury her nose in her issues and she was more pissed off than uncomfortable. "And you? Why are you here?"

The brunette smiled. "You know, holidays, summer... my grandma has a flat in Parione," Katie nodded. She didn't know where Parione was but she didn't care anyway. "In the middle of Rome; Such a beautiful place," the petite girl smiled and nodded. She believed her, that 'Parione' seemed to be a good place. "And I suppose you're going to stay in a hotel..."

Katie nodded again. "The Phanteon Inn."

Effy laughed. "Not bad."

"Wait, do you know where it is?"

This Effy person was really impressive, Katie thought. "I know every tiny corner of this city, Katie. From the beginning to the end; I reckon I know Rome better than London."

When Katie discovered - well, deduced - that Effy was a London girl (just like herself) she smiled. "You hadn't told me that you were from London."

And the brunette smirked again.

"Yeah, and you haven't asked, have you?"

[...]

They arrived in Rome a few minutes after the hour and Effy found the hotel where Katie was staying very easily. Driving there was like a challenge (because people used to drive as they wanted, and it was quite difficult) but the brunette was good at it.

Anyway, she felt kind of uncomfortable. It seemed that their paths were going to separate there and for an awkward reason, it was bothering her.

The taller girl sighed and stared at the hotel. "Via Santa Caterina da Siena. There we are."

Katie sighed and stared at her, shrugging. "Well..." she opened the car's door and got out the car, opening the trunk to grab her suitcase.

Effy just stared at her while Katie was concentrated on her task and she couldn't help but smile. That Katie was... different. That was the word, yeah.

She opened the door and helped Katie with her luggage because it was really heavy. "Here, let me," and between two it was easier to move that enormous suitcase. Who the hell had such a giant luggage just for a couple of days, anyway?

The answer was blatant: Katie Fitch.

"Thank you for the ride and..." the petite girl offered her hand to do a handshake but Effy just started to laugh.

"A handshake? Really? Are we back to the 20th Century and I haven't heard about it or something?"

Katie smiled. "Piss off."

The brunette gave her two kisses in each one of her cheeks and Katie swallowed hard. Gosh, those two lips where so soft... Effy opened the door of the car to get in and Katie cleared her throat. "W-wait," Effy turned around again to face the petite. "I was wondering if..."

For a few seconds, Katie was trapped in Effy blue eyes. The brunette was obviously waiting, for what? She had no idea, but she just waited.

"Y-yeah?"

Katie sighed. "Rome is kind of huge and you are right, I won't see everything in just two days but... but maybe you can show me the most beautiful places. Just if you want, I'm not-"

Effy smiled widely when she heard that and she nodded. "Yeah... yeah, of course. That would be so nice."

Katie smiled too and blushed "OK, then. Ehm..." she found a target on her pocket and handed it to her. "It's my... you know, my phone number and that."

Effy nodded, staring at the little paper. 'Katherine Diane Fitch... such a nice name' she thought to herself and finally she stared at her. "I'll call you later, OK?"

"F-fine," Katie babbled, and turning around she entered in the hotel's hall, dragging her suitcase.

Effy took a deep breath and tilted her head, with a huge smile on her lips.

'Jesus... and it had to be a fucking GIRL.'

She laughed and shook her head, getting into her car and leaving that place - and promising herself that the first thing she would do at Parione, would be calling this petite girl, this Katie Fitch.

Meanwhile, Katie moved her legs nervously as she waited for the hotel clerk. She was way knackered and she just wanted the fucking keys of her room.

The old lady came again with the keys of her room and Katie smiled politely, dragging her suitcase through the hall and heading to the elevator. The first thing she did when she got in her room was leave her luggage on the floor and lay out on the bed, clumsily.

She took her mobile phone - that was tucked in the pocket of her trousers - and connecting it to the Wi-Fi of the hotel, she checked her latest notifications. A couple of messages from her sister Emily - and Katie snorted boringly, because she loved her sister but Emily was way 'too worried' for her liking - and another message that came from an unknown number.

She raised an eyebrow and read the message and suddenly, she couldn't help but smile sheepishly.

_→ Hi, it's me - your taxi driver. Just checking that the number you gave me is correct, I hope so ;). Wanna do something later? Eff, xx._

Katie rolled her eyes but grinned and she didn't hesitate a fucking bit, as she started to type her reply.

_→ Sure! You'll have to come here to the hotel - or I'll get lost, haha. At six? Katie, x._

And when the petite girl sent the message, she thought 'what the hell was she doing' but anyway, she left the mobile on the table and she was ready to inspect the hotel room. She had the intuition that Effy would reply and told her that yeah, that hour was fine and - for some reason that Katie couldn't understand at all - she really liked that.

The only thing that Katie knew was that it was going to be an eventful trip.

[...]

**Translations:**

"Wow... tu sei davvero bellisima." (Wow, you are really beautiful).

"VAFFANCULO, STRONZO!" (Fuck off, arsehole!).

[..]

**Surprised? Haha, as you see the story is beginning to make sense!**

**Thoughts? You know you can review here ↓↓↓↓ and I will love it and thank you personally, pinky promise.**

**I'm off! See you in the next chapter :D**

**#Marv**

**PS: The song is from Domenico Montugno, Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu. Classic :)**


	4. Four - Coexistence

**A/N: Massive thanks to you all, your feedback is almost as awesome as you.**

**Disclaimer: SpanishLily thinks that Katie and Effy hate each other - but I disagree. Skins not mine, typos obviously are (and Lils, yeah, you're 50% owner of this typos. Deal with it ;D). Sweets are yummy and life is wonderful. Please, don't feed my madness.**

**...**

**Chapter 4.**

**Effy & Katie.**

**4th June, 2014. (25 days to the wedding).**

_Beep, beep, beep, beep!_

"Fucking crap..."

Katie whimpered as her hand sought clumsily for the alarm sound. She could not reach it because it came from the other side of the room, from the table which was next to Effy's bed and she sighed.

"Effy... Effy please, stop that fucking alarm, my head is going to explode," she complained; her voice somewhat hoarse and dry.

Effy groaned and looked to her right side. Katie was lying on her bed, her face buried in the pillow; she smiled and turned off that alarm. She sat on her bed and stretched her arms whilst yawning loudly and passing her hand through her hair to rub it.

Damn, it was so fucking early... who the fuck set the alarm for that insane hour?

Anyway, third day in the house of fun. Effy discovered that she actually liked Emily more than she first thought. She was completely adorable and they (Naomi and her) were so stupidly in love that Effy couldn't help but feel happy for her best friend.

Also; it was kind of weird, to have the twins there.

Yes, the similarities between Katie and Emily began and ended in their bodies. It was ironic that they were so fucking different...

Emily was kind, talkative, funny (not that Katie wasn't funny because she was hilarious but it was a different kind of fun. Emily just had a great sense of humor. You had to laugh with Katie because she was so ironic, so sarcastic and incredibly dry).

Katie was scary at first - but Effy didn't give a fuck because she liked it - grumpy, moany...

But the brunette had the opportunity to see what was underneath that façade of 'femme fatale' that Katie wore.

She definitely loved it.

Anyway, she didn't know if she wanted to break that façade again, she just didn't know if she wanted to jump her walls and tease her to the end... she didn't know anything.

Katie fell asleep again and Effy smiled whilst listening to her little snores... ha, it was so adorable. She seemed so peaceful and Effy stared at her, hoping that someday, maybe someday Katie would abandon her façade and just be.

Even if she wasn't next to her to see that - very likely to happen, knowing that Effy was living in Paris and she didn't have a fucking clue where Katie lived.

She went outside the bedroom and she saw the lovely couple having breakfast and watching some TV, cuddling on the couch.

Adorably emetic.

"Morning," she said whilst combing her own hair with her fingers and yawning again. She opened the fridge's door and grabbed the bottle of milk. "Soy milk? Eww..."

Naomi and Emily laughed when they heard Effy's complains and Katie's sister answered her. "Katie doesn't feel so good when she drinks 'normal' milk in the morning, so... is she sleeping?"

The brunette nodded, yawning again and scrunching her nose. "Do you think that if I mix the milk with coffee, it will still be revolting?"

They grinned and Naomi sighed - enjoying Effy's humor so fucking much. Yeah, Effy still was that droll and amusing girl and it was good to have her there just as in the old times. "I think there's some orange juice in the fridge."

The brunette raised her fist and put the milk in the fridge again. "Brilliant."

Katie entered the kitchen minutes later and Effy raised a brow, watching how Katie was preparing her own breakfast with soy milk and chocolate crackers without sugar - damn, it seemed that Katie Fitch was deprived of all the good things. "what?" said Katie without staring at her and yawning loudly.

Effy smiled. That routine, that homey atmosphere reminded her of those days where things seemed lighter. For a moment she allowed herself to miss Rome. Katie's Rome.

She had to push away those fucking thoughts quickly.

Effy just stood up, leaving the kitchen and without replying Katie, who shrugged and continued making her own breakfast. Effy sat on the couch next to the couple and Katie appeared with a tray full of fruit, fat-free cookies and a cup of soy milk.

The older twin sat on an armchair and started to eat, oblivious to the others, who looked at her with different faces - Emily, happily. Naomi looked at her incredulously and Effy... Effy felt somewhat melancholic, so she tried to take her eyes off that petite girl.

Naomi was the first one who broke that lovely silence. "We've been thinking..."

Katie and Effy stared at her. "About what?" asked Katie.

"Our bachelorette party," Effy stared at Naomi with a big smirk on her face.

Katie continued eating, without giving too much importance to the issue that Naomi had brought to the conversation. "Well, that's easy; I'll organize Ems' party and Effy will organize-"

That's when Emily spoke, shaking her head. "Actually, we want to do it together," Katie almost choked. Together? They couldn't do that together! No one did that, it was a fucking tradition!

"But Emily..."

The redhead stared at her sister with a big smile on her face. "We've been talking about that, Katie. It will be more fun if we just have one party."

Effy raised her hand. "I agree."

Of course Effy agreed; when she thought about seeing a drunken Katie the word 'awesome' popped in her mind.

Katie sighed, seeing that it was a lost battle.

"Fuck it. So will I have to do this, right?"

Naomi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you TWO will organize this. Together."

OH fuck... the brunette stared at Katie and smirked. The petite girl just rolled her eyes.

Someone was making her pay for all the things she did wrong in the past or something, she thought.

"Fine," she finally mumbled, looking somewhat pissed.

Half an hour later, Emily left the flat because she had to work. She was an English teacher in a huge college and she was happy with her job but her students had finals that week so she couldn't leave them. Naomi worked on a local newspaper and she just brought all her assignments home, so she could focus on their upcoming wedding.

Anyway, the blonde said that she was going to do some 'legal stuff' - and when the word 'legal' was involved, they didn't even ask - so Effy and Katie ended alone again.

"Fuck's sake," murmured Katie when they heard Naomi close the door and she went to the kitchen to leave the bowl in the sink - trying to avoid Effy, really.

The brunette stood up and grabbed her pack of cigarettes, following her to the kitchen. "Do you want one?" The other girl didn't reply. "Katie..."

She didn't reply and Effy sighed. "Fantastic, are you going to avoid me during three weeks like a fucking child or what?"

The petite girl turned around and replied, somewhat annoyed. "I am not avoiding you."

Liar...

Effy took a drag and let the smoke run through her lungs, trying to relax her body. God, she was nervous...during those two days and a half, they just tried to avoid each other - because Katie wanted to, mostly. The brunette was really fed up of that situation, so she just replied with harshness. "Of course you aren't, because when you aren't quiet you just snap at me, you groan or you are the mother queen of all the fucking bitches."

"Hey!" said Katie angrily.

"I get it, OK? Is this too fucking uncomfortable for you? OK, I won't say anything but just stop this shit because I've come here to have some fun with my BEST FRIEND and I wouldn't have ever imagined that you would be here. Can't you understand that?"

Katie just remained silent.

"OK?" asked Effy, taking another drag.

And she heard Katie's sigh and her body squirmed subconsciously.

"OK."

The brunette nodded, blinking and trying to ignore the tingling that Katie had caused in her body. "We have a bachelorette party to organize and I don't have a fucking clue about the people they want to invite..."

"Can you... can you just stop saying 'fucking' every time you open your mouth?" said Katie whilst staring at her and sighing again. "You are making me nervous."

Effy smirked and left the fag on the ashtray. "So I still have that effect on you..."

"Fuck - off!" Katie groaned in despair. "You are so disgustingly annoying!"

"You didn't say that when you-"

"IT FUCKING HAPPENED SIX FUCKING YEARS AGO, GOD!"

And the brunette grinned because she found Katie's reaction completely amusing. "Now who's the one who can't stop saying 'fucking' all the time?"

Katie rolled her eyes and then stared at her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to play it cool. "Don't piss me off, Stonem. Hopefully these three weeks will go by fast and you will go wherever the fuck you are living - I don't care - and I'll be in New York again, so many fucking miles aw-"

"Are you living in New York?" Effy asked with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Fuck..." Katie muttered, slightly embarrassed...damn, she didn't want to share that information with Effy, they weren't friends at all and it was so pointless to do that. "Well, yeah..."

"Did you make it?"

Katie frowned. "W-what?"

"Fashion design, obviously," Effy said, obviously.

The petite girl shrugged and avoided her gaze. "Not really, but I am working on a fashion magazine."

Effy smiled widely. "That's so cool, Katie. I mean, wow, you can show your dresses and..."

But the petite girl wasn't comfortable talking about that, so she just stared at the floor. "It wouldn't work."

"Are you kidding me? I could see how good you were and I didn't give a fuck about fashion, so... you were awesome," Effy said with a smile of disbelief on her face and raising an eyebrow. "How can you not-"

"Can we just... talk about something else?" pleaded Katie and then Effy saw that it hurt her. That it was really hurting her. She didn't know why but she felt the pain in Katie's words, so she nodded and left that issue aside. "What about you?"

Effy just shrugged. "In Paris."

Katie was surprised about that. Paris... she expected her to be living at Rome or in a warmer place, but Paris? "Impressive," recognized the petite girl.

"Yeah... good place to live. Not better than New York City, I guess, but..."

"New York is overrated," Katie confessed and Effy stared at her, surprised. The petite girl lit a fag and Effy waited for her explanation, but she didn't say anything more. "So what are you doing there?"

"I finished my photography degree and I work in a music studio, taking the pictures and stuff..."

Katie nodded. "That's nice."

"Well, it's one of the secondary brands of a big label so I can't complain at all," Effy explained, shrugging.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room and Katie continued with the dishwashing.

Katie asked something then. "How's Albertina?"

Effy sighed and avoided her eyes.

"She died, 2 years ago," she mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Katie..." she stared at her and Katie knew that she had to shut up so she just did it.

Albertina, or 'Bertie' was the person Effy loved the most: her grandmother. She was an Italian petite woman (even smaller than the twins) and Katie had met her once, back in Rome.

She found her an adorable woman. So alive, so cheerful... she couldn't help but feel sad for Effy.

That should be really hard for the brunette.

Effy just turned around, avoiding her again. "I'll have a shower," and she left the kitchen. Katie sighed and closed her eyes. Jesus, it was so fucking uncomfortable...

She wished that those three weeks passed quickly because she didn't know if she could stand seeing Effy everyday.

It seemed that fate wanted to fuck things up with her.

[...]

"Cook is coming tomorrow."

The four girls were having dinner quietly; Katie moved her fork on the plate, without actually taking anything because she was not hungry at all. "Cook? Who's Cook?" She asked, without raising her eyes from the plate - it didn't matter at all who he was; she just asked because she wanted to ask that.

Effy replied. "Our best mate," Katie raised an eyebrow. It was funny; Katie had always thought that Naomi was an antisocial bitch - and the blonde had been incredibly lucky to have met someone like Emily, even if they loved each other fiercely - and ultimately it was her who had virtually no friends, only her twin sister. "He went to college with us."

Naomi smiled widely. "I've been talking with him today. Fucking tosser... he asked about you," Effy just stared at her and raised an eyebrow, curious - and with that smirk on her fucking face, obviously. "Something like: 'If Gaël is out of picture, tell Effy I offer her anything'," she said, making an impression of Cook cockiness and Emily laughed. "Disgusting."

"Nothing new, I see," Effy smiled and grabbed a can of beer that was on the middle of the table. "I kind of miss him."

The blonde grinned. "Yeah... me too."

"Who's Gaël?" Katie asked innocently, without thinking at all that he was someone to Effy but when she replied those two words...

"My boyfriend."

The truth was that no matter how much time had passed, if Effy had someone by her side Katie's stomach would stir. Every fucking cell, every fucking centimeter.

It was the worst reaction in the world but there it was.

Emily was the first who said something about it. "Naomi didn't tell me that you have boyfriend."

The tall brunette stared at her. "Well, he's not here so..."

And Katie didn't try to make the next question she asked sound so dry, but it did. "And why hasn't he come?"

Like a fucking poisoned dart to the center of the target, Effy stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Work," she just replied cooly, without blinking and if she didn't cared about the question.

Of course she cared, God... she didn't expect Katie's dryness and she didn't wanted to talk about Gaël at first but fuck it, he was her boyfriend, wasn't he? And she 'adored' him. "Also, he doesn't like weddings."

Emily and Naomi couldn't help but giggle at that and Effy stared at them. "Gosh, I understand. We don't like weddings either."

"Can I know why the fuck are you marrying each other, then?"

And when Katie talked like that... the table fell silence and Emily stared at her sister completely surprised.

Effy's mobile started to buzz on the table and when she saw the screen, she smiled and stood up - completely thankful because the tension on the table could be cut with a knife.

"Babe... yeah, yeah it's fine. We are here, me, Naomi, her fiancée and her sister," Effy laughed. "Yeah... kind of 'le Fun House'. Aww I miss you too."

Katie was staring at her. She had never heard her talking so lovely, so adorable... and she was talking with Gaël, she didn't need a fucking doctorate to know that.

Effy went to the balcony and when she closed the sliding glass door; the older twin sighed and put her hands on her head.

'Breathe... just breathe. She's not the same Effy anymore. She's not _that_ Effy.'

Emily stared at her, slightly annoyed by her actions. "Katie... why have you ask-"

"Look, I'm tired OK? I just need some sleep."

She stood up and went to the bedroom and the first thing she did was to lie on her bed and close her eyes, sighing.

She started to miss New York, but not New York itself; she just missed the calm because when Effy was there...the place became like quicksand.

Effy entered in the room like an hour later and Katie pretended to be sleeping because she didn't want to talk with her.

She began to hear a noise and she slightly opened her eyes to see how Effy slowly removing her clothes.

Effy couldn't be the same, but her body... she was just wearing a blue lacy bra and a matching knickers and the word stunning felt short.

Katie didn't like it. She never liked girls; she was a fucking cock lover! Effy just broke all her ideas of how everything was supposed to be again and again.

The taller brunette pulled into bed, covered herself with the sheets and yawned.

Five minutes later, Effy was already sleeping calmly with that slow breath.

Katie couldn't sleep, so after tossing and turning in bed she got up and grabbing a blanket she went to the balcony. She lit a cigarette and she stared at the streetlights.

Peace and calm, just what she needed...

Katie heard the door's chirp and she turned around to see Effy with a fag between her lips and with a blanket that covered her body.

She didn't say anything and offered Effy the lighter. The brunette lit her fag and exhaled. Katie just stood there watching the streetlights.

"We need a truce."

When Effy said that, Katie rolled her eyes and sighed, turning around and staring at her.

"So pretend we don't know each other and become 'besties'? Not my style, honey."

Effy smiled. "Your sarcasm won't work with me, you know?" Katie just shrugged and turned around again, throwing the fag away. "Believe it or not, I'm glad to see you. After so many years I never thought I'd see you again and..."

"Stop it," Katie murmured. "We can be buddies if you want it but just stop it."

Effy sighed and threw the cigarette away, too. "OK... have a nice night," she mumbled before going inside the flat and Katie just sighed deeply.

It was nice to pretend that they were friends but the truth was that Effy and Katie couldn't be friends. They just couldn't.

And for the third time that week, Katie didn't sleep a wink the entire night.

**Liked it, right? So ↓↓↓↓↓↓, you know.**

**And now I gotta go, climbing the walls like a lizard or Spiderman.**

**#Marv.**


	5. Five - Cook

**Thaaaaaank you so freakin' much for all your feedback, lovelies! I would really like to answer or thank all of you but now I'm just so busy and I can't :( so sorry, but of course I will appreciate your favs/follows/reviews! And now stop babbling, Marvikins! Here is the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: nope, Skins not mine. I like to think that I own a tiny part of Keffy.**

**...**

**Chapter 5.**

**Cook.**

**5th June, 2014. (24 days to the wedding).**

_Oh the boy's a slag_

_The best you ever had_

_The best you ever had_

_Is just a memory and those dreams_

_Weren't as daft as they seem_

_Not as daft as they seem, my love_

_When you dream them up..._

It was a fucking pictoresque image. Well; HE was.

He was the guy who always had a cigar between his lips, the guy who always grabbed the wheel with one hand in his old red Chevrolet (not that he was a man of many quirks, of course not, but the car was like his most prized possession - and it was very helpful, yes. The girls who appreciated a bit of motoring or mechanical, would die to get in that fucking car).

He was such a cliché; but it worked fine for him.

His name was James Cook but he only let Effy and Naomi call him James; the other people just called him Cook.

He was the archetype of the 'bad guy' and when he was younger, he just brought and carried problems with him. How to describe Cook in three words? Funny, fearless and so fucking carefree.

Why was he a friend for Naomi and Effy, then? Damn, who knows. Maybe because he was loyal as fuck, or maybe because they knew the huge and loyal heart that Cook had. Or maybe because so much had happened, and that was all.

He was living in Bristol; in fact he always belonged to that city, although his best years were in London with Effy and Naomi - but he was happy. Cook was the owner of a pub in the city, his uncle gave it to him when he died some years ago and yeah, it worked so well.

He was living in a flat in the middle of that city, because even if he owned a successfull pub, those huge houses were so expensive for him.

Anyway; he was happy - because James Cook meant carefree happiness.

No worries, no binding.

No breakfasts with women.

No caring about anything else than maintain active his crayola-colored cock.

He grinned when he heard that Arctic Monkeys' old song that was playing on the radio and he tossed the cigarette out the window.

Fuck yeah, he could feel London in front of him!

And why London, that time? Well, like everyone else, right? The fucking wedding.

At first he didn't believe it at all - just the same reaction that Effy had had.

Jesus... his fucking blonde was getting married, ha, it was the best joke he ever heard but surprisingly, it was true - because Emily, who had become a good friend of him during those years, called him and told him that they were really engaged (expensive rings and other stuff involved).

He was so excited for her, because probably the only people who cared about Cook - and he cared too, of course he fucking did - were Naomi, her lovely girlfriend Emily and well...Effy? She cared once, and he liked to think that she still did it.

God's sake, Effy... the dangerously popular Elizabeth Stonem and so many years without seeing her... he was even nervous. Naomi and Cook used to meet and hang around when she went to Bristol to visit him, or when he was in London doing some stuff - that Naomi didn't ask - but Effy... he had missed her. He still missed her. He wasn't infatuated as when he was a teenager douchebag, and obviously he knew that she had boyfriend and a life in Paris, but he really missed that brunette and the old times.

He couldn't help the laught that appeared in his throat when he thought about his two girls.

Just a few miles and he was right there.

He wasn't going to stay in Naomi's house because as she said, 'they were full' but fortunately he had a good friend called Thomas and he and his lovely girlfriend were going to let him stay over, so yeah... everything was close to perfection.

His mobile started to buzz and when he stopped in a traffic light he grabbed his phone, staring at the screen. He pressed the speaker and he heard a huge noise. "Blondie, where the fuck are ya'?"

"Cookieee! Candem Mall, I was looking for a thing that Ems needs and God, I didn't remember that THIS was so HUGE. Anyway, where are you?" The girl asked and he laughed because it seemed that her friend was eating something and the noises were so funny. "What the fuck are you laughing at?"

He grinned "If ya' take off the cock of your mouth, maybe I will understand you."

Naomi started to laugh too. "I've said Camden Mall, you fucking gross!"

"In... let's say, in twenty minutes I'm there. If London traffic isn't that fucked up."

The girl sighed. "OK, I'll wait... but hurry up. I need a hand here and I want to see you."

He had to smile when he heard those kind of things because Naomi was the sister he never had. God, he was so glad to have a girl like her in her life, althought she was a cow and a bitch (sometimes. Emily helped her to change that and the truth was that he loved to bits that little redhead).

"Awwww, missed you too."

"Fuck off," he knew that she was smiling, because Naomi used to smile a lot since Emily appeared - and he was so fucking glad with it, of course. "Anyway, I'm on the coffee next to that store that you always say it's so 'muff-munchie'? Yeah, there."

Cook smirked. "Surrounded by blue and pink plastic cocks with shiny diamonds... what paradise must be that place for you, innit?" And he heard the enormous sigh that Naomi did and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"See you in a bit, tosser."

He laughed again. "Yeah, see you."

When he hung down, he was wearing a huge smile on his face.

He hoped that London was ready for him - and God knows that a city has to be so fucking ready when James Cook arrives to make some noise - because he was ready for London and his real friends.

Oh - sweet, sweet life.

[...]

He spotted her in a table and he smiled, going there and covering her eyes with his big hands. She flinched a little but she couldn't help smiling, knowing that those big and strong hands were not of a stranger, in fact they were the hands of his best friend.

"I'm definitely not scared."

He laughed, uncovering her eyes and staring at her. "Damn, you aren't gonna let me say: 'who's it?' Even that?"

And she stood up and hugged him because - fuck - she really missed him. He was a huge tosser but he was like her protector, like her brother. He really was the only 'guy' she had in her life and that was important for her.

And he was there. There, for her.

He passed his hand through her head so lovingly and grabbing her shoulders, he stared at her. "You've grown up."

"I'm older than you, worm," it was true, just three or four months but she was older. She smiled and the waitress came to their table.

"Two pints," he said without even staring at the girl who was attending them. "So... what's that thing you were lookin' for?"

Naomi smiled. "Nothing at all, I just wanted you to hurry your fucking arse, and I knew that if I talked about that sex shop you were gonna come here faster. Plus, do you really believe that if I need to buy something there I would call you? No way," Cook grinned. "And I was thinking... where are you staying, have you arranged that? Because I know I don't have so much space but well, Emily wouldn't mind, there's the couch and-"

"Don't worry 'bout it Blondie."

She just sighed and stared at him, worrying about it. "Are you sure?"

He smiled "Of course! Plus, I will just stay 'till friday, the Bachelorette's party weekend and the weddin'. I can't leave the pub for that long."

Naomi was impressed because she thought that Cook didn't give a fuck about that bar. It seemed that he really did. "Look at him. Such a serious business man."

"Fuck off!" He laughed. "It's a cool job, you know? It works out."

"Glad to hear that, dude," she admitted.

He smiled and stared at her. "So how's the - I engaged the hottest redhead of England - life?"

"Pretty much wonderful," she said, with a big, woofy and proudly grin on her face, even if Cook was telling her that Emily was stunning (or hot, whatever) she couldn't care. She loved her, she knew Emily loved her too and - OK, she recognize it - she loved when the people told her how much beautiful her fiancée was. "She's now so happy because her twin sister has arrived an-"

"FUCK, THE REDHEAD HAS A TWIN SISTER AND YOU HAVEN'T TOLD THAT TO ME EVER?!" He was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve and she put his hands on the table, his eyes sparkling.

Naomi couldn't help but laugh oud loud. "Jesus... well, you know that she had a sister, don't you?"

"A sister is one fuckin' thing, Blondie. Her twin has to be at least as hot as her, fuck! Is she single? Say yes," he asked, taking an enormous gulp of his beer. She just didn't answer. "Aww, come on! Answer me, Blondie. It is not a big deal."

She just shrugged. "I... I think so?" He smirked and then Naomi realized his intentions. "Oh no, no no no NO. Forget it."

"A little bit of fun for the Cookie Monster wouldn't be bad," he said, grinning and pointing with his fingers at his trousers.

"She's my sister-in-law..."

"To be," he added. "And plus, they are two different people, aren't they? And your girlfriend-fiancée is so fucking- "

"Beautiful, I know," she added - knowing that Cook wasn't going to say that word, but anyway - and sighed. "Thank you very much but no. Leave it. She's not like Emily."

"Do ya' wanna bet?" He said with that big grin on his face. "Because it'd be interestin' with some tenners on the top of this table."

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I am not in this, Cook. Sorry."

He laughed and stood up, and as she walked he passed an arm through her waist. "What a shame, I was gonna win."

'Did you really miss him?' Naomi asked to herself but then she smiled and answered her own question. 'Of course you did.' So she said it. "You know I missed you, don't you?"

And he smiled again as a fucking looner because he did it, too. So much. He kissed her forehead and left some quid on the bar.

"Come on, let's get out of 'ere."

[...]

She was smoking whilst making a list with a pen - thinking that it was so fucking hard. She hadn't hung out with Naomi for a long time and she could remember the people who used to be their friends; but that was a long time ago. She saw the list that Katie had done, seeing that she had at least ten or eleven names on the list and sighing.

"Lara Brooks, Cassie Ainsworth, Michelle Richardson, Jal Fazer, Maxxie Oliver..." she was just reading the names that Katie put on the list that morning and she bitted her lip, adding some more (and really hoping that the people she was adding just came to the party, or at least wanted to).

Franky Fitzgerald, Mini McGuinness, Liv Malone, James Cook, Effy Stonem... she wrote while she thought about more people but she couldn't concentrate and she just closed the notepad and took a long drag of her cigarrette.

"Fuck it," she mumbled to herself and she passed a hand through her hair, sighing.

"You seem loaded, babe."

That fucking voice...

She smiled when she heard that voice and she turned around.

Fucking hell, James Cook... James Cook leaning against the door - arms crossed on his chest, big grin on his face. "Loads of preparations for the wedding, and you know how bad I am to organize things," said the brunette, walking towards him.

He opened his arms and she just hugged him; burying her face on his chest. "OH my God, I haven't seen you in what, 4 years?"

Cook grinned. "Yeah I think so. Y-you look nice."

She laughed too and she just breathed. She remembered the times when everything was easier with Cook, when she was just a teenager who was scared about everything.

Cook, Naomi and his brother, Tony, helped her to be a real person. They helped her to be sane and she was so grateful. Damn, even if in the past she had hurt Cook they were over it, and well the boy had joked about it - like when he called Naomi asking about Gaël and telling her that if that French guy was out of Effy's life he was going to be in. Clearly he was joking, he loved her when they were teenagers and now she loved her just as a sister, even if it was different with Naomi.

"You don't look so bad. Wondering where you've got this six-pack," she said whilst punching him on the abs, playfully. "Hard as a rock, I see."

He laughed and shook his head. It's not that he wasn't fit when he was young but he was way more skinnier, then. "You know, so many free time in Bristol. When I'm not in the pub, I'm in the gym."

"Or shagging Uni girls, am I right?" She added, smirking.

He smirked too. "Jealous?"

"You wish!" She laughed. "I'm more than OK in France."

"Yeah..." he smiled. "You're such a pussy, falling in love with a typical beardy-hipster French guy?"

"He's nice, you tosser," he smiled and passed an arm through her shoulder. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you."

They heard the door and they turned around to see Naomi and Emily entering in the flat, with two bags full of purchase. Cook smiled when Emily hugged him because it was true that during those years they became good friends - yeah, Emily met him five years ago and since then the couple had visited him a few times, in Bristol. "You're looking nice as always, Red."

Naomi and Emily laughed and the blonde stared at him. "Stop perving on my fiancée, mate. He's way out of your league."

"Who's out of Emily's league?"

That was the voice. The voice who made Effy's body stir.

Katie fucking Fitch was right there.

The first thing that Cook thought about her, was: 'God, she's so fucking top.' Effy just turned around because she was watching the way Cook was staring at her and honestly, she didn't like it a fucking bit.

She helped Emily to order the purchase in order to be busy - if she continued staring at them, they was going to throw up. 'As if Katie was yours, you twat.' Effy thought.

Cook smiled. "I think I haven't met you before, right? I'm sure I would remember that face."

Fuck, it was so fucking grimacious. Effy gulped when she heard Katie's laught and when Cook kissed her cheeks, she just grabbed a her pack of cigarrettes and she went to the balcony.

Fuck it if she was being obvious; when she saw Katie for the first time, two days ago, her mind started to race, remembering all their times in her most loved city. In their Rome. She knew that nothing was going to happen and fuck, she had Gaël but... but just the mere thought of Cook flirting with Katie...

She felt so fucking uncomfortable.

Cook appeared on the balcony some minutes later, with a fag between his lips. "Fuck, that Katie is so..."

_Precious;_ she thought.

"... mint," said Cook.

Effy smiled because he was too obvious and she knew that he kind of fancied her, because when he was single and he saw a beautiful/hot girl, he always 'fancied' her.

And Katie fucking Fitch wasn't an exception, she couldn't be.

Suddenly she was tense - even angry. She didn't know why but she couldn't stand Cook right there in that moment; not when Katie was involved, that was sure.

Naomi appeared on the balcony with a huge smile and passed her arms through their shoulders. "I'm so glad you're here... the CCS has come to town."

They all grinned and Effy thought that she had to leave the issue aside, she wasn't there for Katie, she was there for Naomi and that was WAY worth it.

She felt stupid then; when Naomi hugged them and she had to smile, staring at Cook. It was useless to be crossed with him, it's not like he knew nothing about it and...

And fuck yeah, he was right. Katie was really hot.

_Maybe I should tell him about it,_ she thought. She quickly pushed that thought away because it wasn't clever to do that, because in that moment (enjoying her friends' embrace) Katie didn't matter at all.

She just was going to spend those three weeks trying to avoid her, and those thoughts. She had to.

Naomi's happiness was really worth it.

"We're going to burn this city," said Cook, and she smiled because it sounded so fucking good. He kissed their foreheads and she smiled.

_Everything is gonna be fine,_ she finally thought.

God; she really really hoped so...

**Haha, I love Cook. Hoping you'll love him too ;D**

**Hasta la próxima, amigos ;D**

**#Marvster**


	6. Six - Nights

**This is me being nice and posting 2 chapters in a week because I have all this story half-written and this chapter is just one of my faves, so I hope you'll like it as much as I :)**

**By the way, thanks to all the people who reviewed/fav/followed this, you're completely awesome and you're helping me so much - because I wasn't sure about my skills to write properly in English and I'm starting to be better and better, not the twat arse I was when I first came to . So; thumbs up, Marv and stop babbling. Here is the chapter 6 :)**

**Disclaimer: Skins not mine. Voooolare, ooooh... (and yeah Lils, you the best beta ever).**

**...**

**Chapter 6.**

**Katie and Effy.**

**First night in Rome. Summer of 2008.**

The petite girl had a rather peculiar obsession; she couldn't leave the place where she was without taking a look in a mirror, breathing deeply and smiling. It was like a stupid hobby but she honestly couldn't - it was her method to staying positive; to fight against her usually nervous temper.

Today that silly ritual wasn't helping her at all; Katie Fitch was so nervous... as if she was in front of a big day - and fuck, it was big. Huge. It really was.

Why? Because she couldn't stop thinking about _her_ even for a fucking second, she couldn't stop replaying their moments, the way the brunette smirked and tilted her head and the fucking way her bluish gaze was fixed on Katie in a genuine way - as if Effy were a genuine and selfless person.

Anyway, why the hell she had been so nice to her? Katie wanted to hate it, she really wanted to hate her but... she just couldn't.

So she moved her legs from side to side, leaning against the elevator wall and cracking her fingers nervously - Effy Stonem was already there.

Effy spotted her first and God... Katie was really looking stunning, wearing a cream-colored shirt with black borders, summer tights and clog heels. The brunette smiled widely when Katie stared at her and she was somewhat proud when the petite girl smiled back.

The thing was that the brunette was sitting on a red moped and when Katie saw that she raised an eyebrow.

_What's the deal with mopeds and lesbians, God..._

The other girl smiled and showed her the other helmet. "I know it's a little bit cliché, being in Rome with a fucking Vespa but the tramway here is completely awful,"

Katie sighed and stared at her. "What?"

"Really? A motorbike?"

Effy smiled. "Come on... it's cool."

"I hate mopeds. My sister has one and I just hate that fucking bug," she admitted.

"I would get along with your sister, I see."

The petite girl chuckled. "That's gotta be the quote that I hear the most in my life, believe me."

Katie jumped on the moped and Effy smiled while running the engine. "So she's the nicer twin."

"Fuck-off," she murmured with a smile on her face, knowing that Effy was just messing up with her.

Effy giggled and started to drive through the streets and Katie felt the urge to pass her arms through her waist not wanting to fall. Well... maybe she was enjoying the company a bit. Or too much; or she just wanted to feel Effy's body closer, whatever.

The brunette stared at the petite girl and smirked widely. Katie just smiled in response. "Where are we going?"

"We have two options," said Effy and she stopped on a traffic light. "We can have a nice dinner in Campo Di Fiori, or we can get a dirty slice of Italian pizza wherever," the petite girl shrugged. "I think you're the kind of girl who prefers the 'nice dinner' option, am I right?"

The petite just shrugged. "Since I don't have a fucking clue about what to do here, you just choose."

Effy stared at her. "Whatever?" Katie nodded, blissfully. "Oh, you are _definitely_ going to enjoy this," murmured the brunette girl whilst giggling and Katie didn't understand anything but, fuck - she hoped so.

Effy started to accelerate her peculiar moped and after ten long minutes of crazy driving and some Italian Cursing like 'guardare dove si va, bastardo!' she stopped in a narrow, dark street. Katie jumped off the motorbike and she stared around, it seemed creepy and silent and Katie's body clenched.

When Effy saw her, she started to laugh - God, that had been so bloody adorable. "What?" Asked the petite girl, raising an eyebrow.

"You're scared!"

Katie furrowed her brow. "I'm not scared."

Effy stopped laughing and staring at her, she sighed. "You'll just have to trust me, OK?" She offered her hand to do a handshake and the petite girl hesitated a bit but finally she shook her hand.

"I thought you didn't like handshakes. Something about 'old-fashioned stuff'."

Effy rolled her eyes, smiling - God, she really enjoyed that sarcastic-witty humor that the petite girl had, and it was easy to join her teasing jokes. So easy. "Shall we go?"

Katie nodded and they started to walk. Katie just followed Effy through the streets, just staring at the buildings and the little shops. She could guess that they were in one of the historic districts, so she asked the brunette about it and Effy just said that certainly, almost every corner of Rome was 'historic' and well, she was quite right.

Katie thought that it was a beautiful place. The weather was lovely and the atmosphere was wonderful - and she couldn't help but notice that even if Effy wasn't a person who shared or talked too much, she was incredibly intelligent.

"So... have I earned some trust, Katie?" asked Effy, stopping in a corner. Katie stared at her and shrugged, nodding. "Sweet. I need you to close your eyes and hold my hand, OK?"

"Why?" asked Katie, curious.

Effy just smiled. "It'll be worth it. Promise."

Katie shrugged, not so sure about it but when she felt Effy's hand grabbing her own hand and squeezing it, she breathed deeply and closed her eyes. They walked like that for a bit and finally, Effy stopped.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Katie asked. She heard the crowd's noise so she guessed that they were in a popular place. Just feeling the noises, the atmosphere...

It was like magical.

And yeah; she was absolutely right about it. "Yeah... open them," 'cause when she did that, when she opened her two brown eyes, she knew that the word beautiful had a fucking new sense.

"Wow..." Katie whispered.

In front of their faces was La Fontana di Trevi, Trevi's Fountain completely illuminated in the night. Katie was smiling widely and Effy felt proud of herself when she saw her face. "Come on."

They went to the edge of the fountain and Katie grinned when she saw the people who were throwing coins to the water. "What's this?"

"It's a tradition," said Effy, grabbing three coins from her pocket. Katie chuckled. "It's cool, you have to throw three coins to the fountain and make a wish for each one of the coins. Well, they say that the third wish is to come here again married, but I never asked that."

Katie grabbed the coins, finding that so ridiculous but funny. "OK, how's the procedure?"

Effy smiled widely. "Turn around. Grab a coin with your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder."

Katie giggled and kissed the first coin then she threw it to the fountain wishing to finish her studies and just have a nice career in the fashion's industry.

The second coin... she wished that Emily was always by her side their entire lives.

And what about the third coin? God, it was hard... She thought about it and she stared at Effy, who was smiling and just staring at her.

'I want this night with this girl to be the best night of my life.'

Effy grabbed her hand again and they started to walk. "Why don't you throw coins to the fountain?"

"Me?" Effy shook her head. "All my wishes have been fulfilled, that's why."

_Katie smiled because if Effy's wishes were really fulfilled, why couldn't she fulfill her own desires?_

[...]

They found a restaurant close to the fountain and they had a lovely dinner; though really it was they the typical pizza and cheap wine.

Effy paid it all.

After that, they started to walk hand with hand and they stopped at a large ice cream stand. Katie's eyes sparkled when she saw that vast amount of flavours and shapes, and Effy couldn't help but buy her the most enormous ice cream ever (adoring her a little bit more).

Katie chose a two flavored ice cream, one scoop of lemon and the other of stracciatella - that was a simple mix of cream and bits of chocolate - and Effy laughed when she saw that mix and she asked for the same. When Katie told her that she loved to taste new things, even if the mix seemed - and looked - so awkward... Jesus, Effy thought that the petite girl couldn't be more perfect.

And yeah... Effy paid it all again.

They walked hand by hand again - inertia, and the way Katie's petite fingers matched with Effy's long and slender fingers felt so fucking fantastic - and Effy told her some curious things about the places Katie was watching.

Rome was a really lovely place.

They arrived to the Pantheon and Katie opened her mouth in awe. The building was quite impressive and OK, she had never liked history too much but it was quite different to study it than to watch everything with her own eyes. "It's not that incredible, but it's a funny place."

Katie stared at Effy, curious. "Why?"

"Because there's a hole in the ceiling..." said Effy whilst pointing with her finger to the roof "and some mornings the birds slip through the hole and annoy the priests. It's hilarious."

The petite girl giggled. "Not too ecclesiastical, are you?"

"God no," Effy replied. Katie couldn't help but start to laugh out loud. "What?"

"Kinda incoherent? I mean, there was no need to mention God at all and yet…"

Effy giggled and rubbed her hand through Katie's face. "Piss off!"

They started laughing together and when they were done, Katie stared at her. She didn't realize how stunning her 'friend' was until that very moment.

"Come on... I want to show you our last parade," said Effy, starting to walk and Katie sighed - woof grin on her face included.

_And if that wasn't the fucking best night of her life... God, it was so close._

[...]

"This place is cool!" said Katie staring around.

They were in a kind of pub in Campo di Fiori, with loud electronic music and the younger girl had a drink in her hands, while the brunette downed her own cup and left it on the bar. "Let's dance then!"

And they started to bounce to the rhythm of a famous song. Effy just stared at her, that little girl knew how to move her petite body... it seemed that Katie was born to do that.

She smiled and pressed her body against her friend's frame, sliding to the beat of the music.

Katie giggled and placed her cheek against Effy's. She didn't know what the fuck was going on with her but she felt so nice, so fucking nice and plus, she was in a city where no one could see her so...

No need to pretend, Katie Fitch was enjoying that interaction.

"I am loving this night so far."

Effy smiled when she heard those words and continued dancing with her. She wanted to kiss her, Effy wanted to make that night more special but she was afraid that Katie would get scared or something, so she didn't do anything more than swing the petite girl around the dance floor the rest of the night.

_Oh Christ; the brunette definitely didn't want that night to end_.

[...]

They were walking through the long dim-lighted streets, giggling and grinning at each other like school girls. Effy was dragging her motorbike because she was way too drunk to drive it, as was Katie - and damn, she definitely didn't want to have a meeting with the Italian police; the bloody Carabinieri. No shitting way.

It would be dawn soon but neither girl seemed to mind at all.

"This city is so fucking huge," said Katie, grabbing her shoes with her hands and walking barefoot through that street.

Effy smiled. "A little carefree, aren't we Katie?

The petite girl stared at her. "Why are you saying that?"

"Well..." Effy lighted a fag and offered one to Katie, who accepted it without hesitation "you're in a city completely made of stones and you decide to walk barefoot? Very nice."

Katie laughed. "Sarcastic bitch... for your information, my feet hurt."

"Jump on the bike, then."

The petite raised an eyebrow. "Have you noticed that you have to drag your moped at least another ten streets, right?"

Effy smiled again. "This thing has wheels, plus... I think I can cope with your weight; I won't die."

Katie sighed, then. "Fifty-four point two, you've been warned."

"Now I don't know it I have to be scared that you control your weight so much or stumped that you even dare to talk about it," said Effy, and Katie giggled whilst jumping on the motorbike.

Effy started to walk and Katie stared at her. She bit her lip trying not to laugh, Effy seemed to be in trouble with the bike and she looked rather tired. "Such a 'gentleman'."

"Go on, mock me. But you're looking at me leaving your stranded in the middle of Rome by yourself."

Katie scoffed and punched her arm, playfully. "You wouldn't do that."

Effy raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Wouldn't I? Don't tempt me."

They arrived to the hotel some minutes later and Effy was finally able to breathe when Katie jumped off her moped.

"You didn't _have_ to carry me, you know? I could've walked the rest of the way."

"A little bit too late to say that, don't you think?" said Effy with a grin on her face. "Well..." Effy stroked her hand through her straight hair. "Have you had fun?" At that moment, she wished internally that Katie said 'yes', just a fucking 'yes' and her night would have been totally worth it.

Because she obviously had fun.

"Yeah, I definitely had," said Katie with a huge smile on her face. "Thanks... I would have been so lost and alone here and..."

"No need to say that, princess," and when she said that, she bit her tongue inside of her mouth. _What the fuck?_ Suddenly she was nervous.

She didn't have to say that, shit!

When Katie blushed, she felt relieved and then she thought of something.

OH, fuck...

_We're flirting. We've flirted all night and we are flirting right now, fucking hell..._

"So... yeah," murmured Katie without staring at the brunette as Effy placed her hand on Katie's waist.

They stared at each other for a bit still in awe and that was when the brunette risked it all when as she kissed Katie's lips so slowly and tenderly, she risked it all because she knew that in that moment, Katie could have easily pushed her away and slapped her right in the face.

But she didn't.

And - OH - Effy's lips were so soft, so beautiful... and with a simple brush that brunette was waking up in her a multitude of feelings.

After a moment, Effy broke the kiss and stared at her deep brown eyes with curiosity. She needed a word, just a fucking movement and everything would make sense.

Katie just shook his head and blinked a few times, still surprised.

"I-I... I mean..."

Effy smiled shyly. "I know you aren't gay," Katie nodded. "Well, me either."

Katie touched her own lips with her fingers. "But you..."

"Yeah... I wanted to kiss you. In fact... I-I want to kiss you now," she murmured, staring at the floor. She felt Katie's hand on her chin and then they stared at each other.

Effy didn't know if it was Katie who kissed her that time or maybe it was she who approached her lips to Katie's but they kissed again.

And if a kiss was good, two kisses were WAY better.

The little girl pressed her forehead against Effy's and sighed. "I need to go, because I want to keep on kissing you but maybe if I do I will start to freak out, so..."

"Y-Yeah... yeah, I understand," Effy replied.

Katie pecked Effy's lips one more time and then she turned around to enter in the hotel's hall. The brunette was left there fidgeting but she just asked her last question, because she really couldn't let her go without doing that.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

Katie stopped and sighed, and she turned around to stare at the brunette, who was moving her legs nervously.

"I... shit," She murmured, sighing. "I'll call you, OK?"

Effy nodded, staring at her. "OK."

_I hope you'll call me. I hope you'll call me because I know where are you staying and I can camp here for days just to see you one more time._

[...]

In her room, Katie threw her clothes to the floor and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. She didn't care at all if the sun was rising in the horizon and she definitely didn't give a fuck if she was naked; it was Saturday and she just didn't care at all.

She finally allowed herself to think about everything that had just happened once she was in the shower - with the water cascading over her shoulders.

She couldn't help but smile. Fuck, she kissed a girl and she liked it _As Katy Perry, she thought foolishly. _She sighed and pressed her head to the wall whilst the water was going down through her body.

This Effy was definitely something else.

Why would she freak out, she thought to herself? She was in Rome, for fuck's sake, and that city was marvelous! And she loved Effy's company that much was true.

_And she kissed me so so so so so so so so SO well_.

She grinned and shook her head, and once she was already dried, smeared with body cream and dressed, she went straight to get her phone.

_Just a quick message, just two words._

Just because she needed to make sure.

_→ Lunch tomorrow?_

She waited and waited. She lay on the bed and pulled down the covers, and unwittingly she began to close her eyes because she was really tired.

Suddenly, her mobile buzzed when she was almost slept.

_→ Yeah sure :) Do you mean tomorrow as in Saturday or Sunday? x_

She laughed and blushed a little when she saw the kiss Effy sent her, and she replied quickly and sent her a kiss, too. _It was just a kiss so why the fuck not?_

_→ Saturday, ;P1 PM hotel's door? x_

The answer came so fast that it made her smile.

_→ Sweet. Goodnight x_

_→ Night :) x_

She left her mobile on the table and she yawned, totally tired.

_That night was the first night in a while that Katie fucking Fitch allowed herself to have a big grin on her face before falling completely asleep_.

It definitely was the best night of her life.

**Translations:**

'Guardare dove si va, bastardo!' (Watch out, bastard!)

The song that they are dancing on that pub: Kurd Maverick - Let's Work.

[...]

**And now I'm heading to the batcave again haha (evilish grin)**

**See you in just a bit, my beautifuls!**

**#Marv**

**PS: ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓**


	7. Seven - Partitions

**Just coming to update and to say that I am really grateful with all the feedback I'm receiving. You guys are the best readers I will ever have :) And really, you all are wonderful - and if anyone tells you that during your day, hereI am.**

**Today I don't disclaim, and today the typos are just mine.**

**...**

**Chapter 7.**

**Part 1: Effy & Naomi.**

**6th June, 2014. (23 days to the wedding).**

It was monotonous; the way that her teaspoon slowly stirred the coffee while she was feeling a mixture of bodily discomfort, dark circles in her eyes and a headache - a bloody severe headache. It hurted a lot and yeah, she was having a huge hangover - her mouth that was like if she had swallowed two kilos of cinnamon, for example - and for a moment, Effy cursed her two best friends for dragging her to go partying.

And what a fucking party! Emily and Katie needed some 'sisters time' and Naomi was more than glad to go partying with her friends. That night wasn't about her fiancée or her sister, absolutely not; that night was about remembering old times and mostly that night was about have fun.

God, Effy didn't remember the alcoholics her friends could be, they seemed like two bleeding strainers!

Effy was somewhat jealous of Naomi because she seemed and looked completely perfect, as if the alcohol wasn't doing anything in her body.

"Good morning," cheered the blonde whilst whistling a song. Effy sighed and closed her eyes and Naomi smiled funnily when she saw her. "Headache?" Effy nodded and her friend just grinned, funnily. "And I'm the pussy here, yeah..."

"Shut up..." the brunette replied, rubbing her forehead. "I hadn't drink that much in ages."

Naomi opened a kitchen cabinet to find the medicines and then she handed two pills to the brunette. "And that, coming for you, it's impressive."

Effy smiled, because when they were young they were always drunk. Literally. Cook was 70% alcohol (not water), every fucking time Naomi had a problem she appealed to her friend 'Vodka' and Effy was Effy: she just loved the booze and the fun that meant going out there without really knowing where. That reckless and wasted feeling.

Now she really wasn't used to that because in Paris when she drank, it usually was all about wine - posh wine, in posh and delicated places.

'I am sucking so fucking much, right now,' she thought, swallowing those pills and staring at Naomi, who was washing some dishes.

"Did you know that Cook is staying at Thomas' house, who incidentally is Pandora's boyfriend?"

Effy raised an eyebrow. "P-Pandora? Does Panda live here?" Naomi nodded. "I didn't know."

Naomi chuckled again. "God, you had to be so wasted yesterday, Cook said it like a hundred of times."

"I wasn't paying attention, I guess," confessed Effy, shrugging.

And it was true, because the first thing that Effy thought when they received their first round of shots and drinks, was that she was going to have the motherfucking binge in her story. Fuck about Katie Fitch and the thoughts that she was waking up on Effy, she wanted to drink and forget. And that was going to happen, yeah...

"Anyway, I told him that I want them to come to the Bachelorette's party, so... you'll eventually need their phones."

Effy nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'll ask Cook," Pandora Moon was a real good friend of them when they were in College and it was good to know something about that people.

Naomi sat abruptly on a chair - as if she were tired - and stared at Effy, who lighted a fag and took a long drag. "What?" Asked the brunette, trying to avoid her gaze.

God, she knew what was coming and she didn't like it a fucking bit.

The blonde just shrugged. "You haven't told me about Gaël and you..." there it was, OH fucking God. The big issue she was trying to avoid, there it was.

"We're fine," she muttered.

Naomi just doubted it and sighed, staring at Effy. "You know it's me, don't you? I don't buy that shit."

Effy raised her gaze to meet her best friend's eyes. "I-It's true. We are OK."

"Yesterday you were flirting with Cook. Because I was there... you would have finished shagging him in a fucking bathroom's compartment," Effy blinked and opened her mouth to say something but she remained quiet. "You can talk to me, you know."

"I-I..." she sighed. "I was drunk. Is it a credible excuse?"

Naomi laughed and shook her head. "No, I don't think so Eff."

The brunette girl sighed and passed her hand through her face. "I am OK with him and... he loves me, Nai. It's comfortable, do you understand?"

"What, to be loved?" Asked Naomi and Effy nodded, slowly. "Yeah I do, I understand but, you know? It's way better to love back."

Effy stared at her. "He helped me a lot when I arrived at France and-"

"And that was five years ago, Effy. You don't owe him anything," she replied and Effy nodded sheepishly because she knew that her friend was right. It wasn't excuse.

Fucking excuses, it was easier when she was alone with him and she could pretend that everything was all right.

She took another drag and replied her, somewhat pissed about the situation - not with Naomi, God... at the end, she was completely right. "I hate your ability to read me so well."

Naomi smiled and rubbed her hand, friendly. "Years of practice. Anyway, does he make you happy?" She asked.

The another girl nodded because in part, he did. He was such a lovable person but he just... fuck, he wasn't 'her one'. That was clear.

"Since I took the train and came here I'm doubting. E-everything makes me doubt."

The blonde smiled. "Well... you have weeks to thing, and also: I'll be there, you know?"

Effy stared at her, smiling too. "You always were there."

"I know I'm awesome," they laughed together and Naomi felt happy - because she knew that they didn't need an enormous hug to be there for each other - and that was so fucking nice, sometimes. When they were able to help each other in that genuine way.

Effy felt so much better knowing that, and she just stood up - leaving her friend there and heading to her provisional bedroom. Katie wasn't there and she just wanted to enjoy that peace for a moment.

She closed her eyes and sighed, thinking that in some weeks everything was going to be stable as always and she smiled - because although she was having some doubts and she always had doubts when she was far away from him, she loved that stabily.

She finally thought that with Gaël everything was different - she obviously wasn't queasy with him, her legs weren't like jelly and he didn't awake and light her heart every time he opened the door of the studio in the morning, for example, but with him it was easy because he was an easy man, who wasn't too ambitious and who liked simple things.

He kept her safe and maybe it wasn't really enough but Effy didn't know if she wanted to risk that safety.

Just the thought that she had seen Katie less than five times in her life and she had awakened more feelings than Gaël... and in five fucking years! It was crazy, and unstable.

'She is going to drive me crazy,' she murmured, before lighting a fag and smoking it peacefully.

And yeah - Katie was. And she just wanted to avoid that, but she didn't know if she could. Not during three entire weeks, that was sure.

Effy Stonem was truly fucked up.

[...]

**Part 2: Katie & Emily.**

**6th June, 2014. (23 days to the wedding).**

Katie and Emily were looking for dresses. The older twin needed a nice long dress for the wedding and obviously she loved to go shopping.

Katie was born to shop - and Emily to accompany her, that was clear. They were relentless as a couple, and while Katie dressed like a real slut when she was a teen and Emily dressed like if she were bored - at the discretion of his sister, of course. She thought her style was pretty good - over the years their style had become something really cool and smooth.

Plus: it was her ecosystem. Katie wasn't ever more comfortable than in a clothing store, especially a dresses one.

Emily just stared at her sister with that huge grin on her face - it seemed like when they were 18 and they were looking for the perfect dress for their prom ball. Katie remembered that Emily went with JJ, a weird guy who was sweet (and completely crazy about her sister, even if Katie didn't understand why) and she went with Freddie, the popular guy, her 'coolest' boyfriend and her ex-fiance.

Just thinking about Freddie made her want to puke in the middle of that store.

Anyway, that memories of her adolescence / youth times were good on one hand, and very bad otherwise. While Emily had the sweetest boy on Earth (and although it was weird, because they acted like best mates and it was so fucking weird - and she didn't understand it at all until Emily told her that she was gay and that JJ just knew it) she was having a wild romance: shagging, usually being wasted on weed or booze...

It was fun for a while. Then, when she discovered that she couldn't have kids - because she had premature menopause - her world fell literally appart.

She didn't talk with anybody. She just let everything be and it wasn't until a day, when Emily told her that she had a 'girlfriend' - and consequently, that she was gay - that she didn't say anything.

Two years after knowing it she told her sister. That night they cried too much together and they promised each other that they would try to tell everything to each other.

(Because they were twin sisters, but they also were best friends).

If Emily truly thought about it, she would never had thought about having a best friend as Katie - and because she was her sister, it would be impossible otherwise). Katie was a dramatic, needy and moody person. You had to know her to know how to mediate with a girl like Katie Fitch.

She loved her, but. Katie cared about her like anyone else until she met Naomi, sure, and she gave her the space she needed to just be. She didn't judge her when Emily told her that she was gay - and it was one of the things that scared the most for Emily. Katie's rejection - but she just accepted it.

And that was so cool.

"Any dress you like?" Asked Emily, rubbing Katie's shoulder.

The older twin shrugged. She had liked one, just one, but it was creamy white. She couldn't wear white in a wedding, less if it was her sister's wedding - her twin sister, by the way.

That was when Emily told her that Naomi was going to dress in blue and that she had loved a pale yellow dress and that she was going to wear that.

Katie laughed out loud because it seemed to be the less conventional wedding of her life. It was so weird, so... so 'Naomily', she thought. They weren't a conventional couple but they loved each other to bits and it was nice.

"This one," she finally said, showing her the dress she liked the most.

Emily genuinely smiled. "You should wear it, it's beautiful."

Katie smiled, too, and they went to the dressing room.

Once she saw the dress on her body, she blinked several times to see if what the mirror was showing her was true, because she looked beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Emily smiled when she saw her and opened her eyes, surprised. "Wow."

"D-do you like it, or do you think it's too much or-"

"Stop rambling, Kats. You look awesomely stunning," she said and they high-fived because when they were young they did that every time they went shopping and found something nice.

Katie stared at the mirror and smiled, turning around to see her entire body. "I think I'm in love with this dress," mumbled Katie and her sister laughed.

God, she had really missed her...

With the bag of that dresses store on Katie's hand, they ended in a terrace, asking for some drinks because the weather was so hot - and they just wanted to stop for a bit and just enjoy each other's company.

Katie put on her sunglasses and she lit a cigarette, quietly. Emily stared at her, with a grin on her face. "It's nice, you know? To do things together," Katie stared at her and took a drag, slowly. "Even if I'm so happy with Naomi here, I know she missed Effy and Cook as much as I've missed you and it's so nice to have all of you here. Together."

The fact was that she didn't think in Effy until her sister or Naomi mentioned her (or when she saw her, obviously) and in those moments her stomach clenched. She was still uncomfortable around the brunette and she wasn't handling it so good, the situation. Anyway, she left aside that issue and grinned. "And you have to say that it's cool when Naomi goes drinking and partyiny with her friends if when she arrives home she shags you senseless."

Emily covered her mouth with a hand, so surprised. "God, did you hear us?"

Katie started to laugh. "I fucking knew! Effy owes me twenty quid," her sister stared at her, a little bit confused. "When she arrived I was awake and she was so fucking drunk the first thing she said was 'They cannot shag, can they? Because if you pinch Naomi she may start throwing out alcohol for any part of her body' so as I know you two I bet with her."

Emily grinned too and shook her head. "That's gross! Anyway, I'm glad you're getting along with her. She's nice."

"Yeah she is..." and Katie said it without thinking about it because it was true. Even if she was trying to avoid her, Effy had been so nice with her those three days.

When they were done with their drinks, they started their way to the car park, where Emily had her Toyota - and Katie maybe would be so embarrassed to be in that car when she was young, because it was so weird but fuck it, she was 27 years old!

Suddenly she spotted a candy shop and her eyes blinked, remembering something.

***Flashback***

_"Seriously!? A fucking candy shop?"_

_Effy laughed and nodded. "Come on! I haven't eaten this in ages, and plus... sweets are yummy."_

_Katie snorted. "And childish, and they fuck up your teeth."_

_"Such an adult, I see," Effy smirked and Katie punched her arm, playfully. "Ow!"_

_"I'm younger than you, you mong. Come on, let's buy the babe some sweets."_

_Effy laughed and mumbled. "You are definitely loving this."_

_Yeah, Katie obviously did._

***End of the flashback***

Katie smiled, remembering those things and grabbed Emily's arm.

"I want some sweets."

Emily laughed and nodded. "The best idea I've heard in so much time, Katiekats."

[...]

They arrived to the flat half an hour later, with some bags on their hands. Go shopping wasn't ever a little thing for the twins. They loved it and they enjoyed it when they did it together. "We're home!" Shouted Emily and Naomi appeared on the living.

She kissed her fiancée and Katie did an 'eww' and a disgusting face that made them laugh. "You shouldn't shout, Effy has a huge hangover."

"Sorry," giggled Emily, kissing her back.

Naomi stared at the bags and raised an eyebrow. "Did you find that 'perfect dress'?"

Katie grabbed the bag of sweets because (unconciously) she was worried about Effy, so she went to their room but before that, she said. "If you weren't marrying my twin sister, you would be lusting behind my arse when you'll see me in MY perfect dress."

Naomi started to laugh out loud when she listened that and Emily too, but she was inside the room. Effy was made a curling ball in her bed and Katie sighed, sitting on her bed.

Effy turned around and stared at her. "Hi," she mumbled.

Katie smiled and whispered. "Hi," she just replied, grabbing a candy bar and giving it a bit, leaving the bag on the table.

Effy smiled melancholic. "Have you bought sweets?"

"Yeah... and if you are hangover, you know, sweets are good and..."

The brunette smirked. "Are you caring about me?"

"What?" Asked Katie, opening her eyes. Yeah, she was caring about her but she didn't want her to know that! "You wish."

Effy grinned. "Thank you."

"Whatever."

Katie went outside the room and Effy grabbed the candy's bag, smiling and remembering those times.

God, Katie had to stop doing that because if it was difficult just being there with her, Katie being 'sweet' wasn't helping.

"I'm really fucked up," she mumbled, grabbing a candy square and putting it in her mouth.

At least she had a smile on her face.

...

**And I hope you'll like this. It's so easy to leave a reply, and it will make me soo happy - even if you just say hi, really.**

**I'm off! See you soon, beautiful people!**

**#MARV**


End file.
